Rudy Rochman, Noam Leibman, David Benayam, all Israeli filmmakers except the third, a French-Israeli, were arrested at a Synagogue in Anambra July 9, and are now detained by the DSS in Abuja.
Benayam is even sick, and had to be handed over to the French embassy for medical attention so he could come back to detention—until the DSS conclude its investigation.
The three are suspected to be backers of IPOB and its Zionist campaigners, and were busted following IPOB’s statement on Facebook the Israelis sympathized with their secessionist agitation.
Kanu has always boasted he is a Jew, and a Judaist, and the Igbo like to claim they are the lost tribe of Israel.
But their family members have responded, according to reports by Times of Israel, which stated the three landed in Nigeria July 6 for a documentary—‘We were never lost”
The documentary was exploring Jewish communities in African countries such as Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda and Nigeria.
A hand of fellowship the three extended out by giving out copies of the Jewish Torah to the community got twisted when IPOB seized on it.
“The filmmaking crew thought it would be a nice gesture to bring “Unfortunately, members of non-state political groups have hijacked for their own purposes images of the filmmakers gifting a Torah to a local community,” the family said in a statement.
“These individuals are distorting the intentions of the filmmakers in an effort to manufacture a connection to local political matters when no such connection exists.
“These politically motivated actors have taken a simple gesture of kindness and twisted it in an attempt to create an alternate meaning.
“The documentary series is designed to educate viewers about the religious and cultural experiences of lesser-known Jewish communities. Their goal is to interview members of Jewish communities across multiple African countries, along with Jewish communities in China, India, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
“This documentary is not intended to make any political statements about the countries in which filming will take place, nor does the filmmaking team endorse any political movements. The filmmaking crew acts as a guest visiting the country and its various communities – there are no political overtones.
“We are working diligently with the US, Israeli and French Embassies on the matter, and we greatly appreciate the attention they have given to the situation. Their involvement has helped to improve the conditions of the filmmakers while in custody – including the delivery of kosher meals prepared by the local Chabad.
“We hope that the DSS will quickly conclude what the facts support – that the filmmaking team has no political motives and that the team should be released from custody as soon as possible,” the families said.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that Benaym was temporarily released from police custody on Tuesday and handed over to the French Embassy in Abuja for medical reasons.
The DSS have not spoken officially about it.