Falana condemns order placing travel ban on high profile Nigerians

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has condemned the federal government for placing a travel ban on some high profile Nigerians.

The Federal Government, on Saturday, October 13, 2018 announced that a travel ban has been placed on 50 high profile Nigerians.

According to Falana, the government’s move brings back the days of the military junta where perceived enemies of the government were put on security watch-lists.

The Human rights lawyer also said the travel ban is uncalled for and unwarranted.

According to Tribune, he said: “the directive to place the 50 high profile suspected persons on watch list and restrict their movement is highly superfluous, completely unwarranted and totally uncalled for.

“In fact, it is an ingenious design to expose the Buhari administration to ridicule.

“Even though the names of the “50 high profile persons” have not been published by the federal government, he said they are presumed to be either standing trial in the various high courts or being investigated for corrupt practices by the anti-graft agencies.

“If the federal government had done some background check, it would have discovered that the names of the 50 VIPs have long been placed on security watch list while their passports have been impounded by the anti graft agencies or the courts as one of the conditions for admitting them to bail.

ALSO READ:FG publishes name of dead Judge on travel ban list

“It is public knowledge that whenever the defendants wish to travel abroad for medical treatment they usually apply for the interim release of their passports.

“Since the courts have taken judicial notice of the perilous state of medical facilities in the country such applications are usually granted. And once the suspects return from the foreign medical trips their passports are returned to the registry of the trial courts.”

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has also condemned the travel ban, describing it as arbitrary, repressive and illegal.