Lawyer asks Osinbajo to sanction "overzealous" Lai Mohammed, Garba Shehu

dimeji akinloye

June 4, 2017 1:54 PM

Falana urged the Acting President to direct the State Security Service (SSS) to release El-Zakzaky and his wife, as well as Dasuki.

Femi Falana

Human rights lawyer,

In a letter to Osinbajo, Falana said members of the Buhari administration who said Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser (NSA), and Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, Shia leader, would not be released despite court orders must be called to order.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, had told State House correspondents that Dasuki was still in detention, despite a court order for his release, because of other charges against him.

Shehu also said El-Zakzaky, whom a court ordered his unconditional release, is still being detained for his own safety.

Also, the Minister of Information Lai Mohammed in an interview on The Osasu Show, had said that the government disregarded the court orders in the interest of national security.

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In his letter to Osinbajo, Falana urged the Acting President to direct the State Security Service (SSS) to release El-Zakzaky and his wife, as well as Dasuki.

The letter read in part: "Since we have a responsibility ‘to resist all who might seek to sow confusion and hatred for their own selfish interests’ we urge Your Excellency to sanction the overzealous public officers who have publicly denigrated the rule of law by saying that the valid and subsisting orders of competent courts for the release of Sheik El-Zakzaky and his wife would not be obeyed by the federal government."

"Notwithstanding the commitment of the federal government to operate under the rule of law the same individuals have continued to give the dangerous impression that the federal government would not comply with the orders of the federal high court, the high court of the federal capital territory and the community court of justice to the effect that Col Sambo Dasuki (retd) be admitted to bail.

"In view of the resolve of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to end impunity in the country we urge Your Excellency to use your good offices to direct the State Security Service to release Sheik Elzakzaky and his wife from further incarceration in compliance with the orders of the federal high court. At the same time Col Dasuki (retd) should be admitted to bail as ordered by the municipal and regional courts."

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also asked Osinbajo to direct the "Nigerian army to investigate and prosecute the military personnel responsible for the brutal and callous massacre of the 347 members of the Shia community at Zaria in December 2015."

dimeji akinloye