CACOL reacts to SERAP’s petition to UN, slams FG over El-Zakzaky

Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership has reacted to the petition by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to Mr. Diego García-Sayán, UN Special Rapporteur on President Muhammadu Buhari’s disobedience to court rulings and orders.

 

The organisation, in a petition dated May 11, 2018 to the UN, lamented the Federal Government’s habit of picking and choosing court judgments to obey.

SERAP cited the case of court judgement ordering the release of the leader of the Shi’ite movement, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenatu, who have been in military detention since December 2015.

Speaking on the recent development, CACOL’s Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran in a statement over the weekend said the government had no reason to disobey court judgement, especially in the case of Shiite leader, El-Zazarky.

His statement read, “It is not right for the Federal Government to disobey court orders even if it is a drunken judge that delivered the judgement, it should be obeyed.

“Once a court gives a judgement, if it is not immediately appealed and there is no stay of execution of the judgement, there is no reason for the government to disobey it.

“They claim to be keeping El-Zakzaky in protective custody, but if he says he does not need government’s protection, it is uncharitable for them to continue to keep him.”