Femi Falana, a senior advocate of
Nigeria (SAN), has asked the federal government to release Ibraheem El-Zakzaky,
leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).
He made the demand while reacting
to the release of Omoyele Sowore, convener of Revolution Now Movement.
The Department of State Services
(DSS) had refused to free Sowore despite court orders until Abubakar Malami,
the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), ordered that Sowore should be
released alongside Sambo Dasuki, a former national security adviser.
Reacting in a statement, Falana
said like Sowore and Dasuki, there have been court orders for the release of
El-Zakzaky, too, and the time had come for the government to release the IMN
leader.
“We have confirmed that the
federal government has decided to comply with the orders of some municipal and
regional courts for the release of Mr. Omoyele Sowore and Col. Sambo Dasuki.
However, we call on the federal government to release other political detainees
and criminal suspects in line with valid and subsisting orders of courts,” the
senior lawyer said.
“In particular, we request the federal government to liaise with the
Kaduna state government to withdraw the charge filed against Sheikh Ibraheem
Elzakzaky and his wife, Mrs Zeenat Elzakzaky who have been detained since
December 14, 2015.
“The federal high court had on
December 2, 2016 declared the detention of the couple illegal and
unconstitutional and ordered the federal government to release them from custody
forthwith. Apart from awarding them
reparation of N50 million the federal high court also ordered the federal
government to provide them with a temporary accommodation since the Nigerian
Army had destroyed their family house in Zaria.
“However, in a bid to stop the
protests of the Shiites who were demanding for the release of their leaders on
the basis of the orders of the federal high court the federal government asked
the Kaduna state government to arraign
the couple in the Kaduna state high court. Even though they have been
charged with procuring certain persons
to kill a soldier the Kaduna state high court has since discharged and
acquitted the persons allegedly
procured by the El-Zakzakys to kill the said soldier.”
Falana, counsel to El-Zakzaky,
said by ordering the release of Dasuki pursuant to the orders of the courts,
the AGF has jettisoned the reactionary position that national security takes
precedence over the rule of law.
He added that since the President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has now embraced the rule of law, the AGF
should ensure that the valid and subsisting orders of all courts are obeyed in
accordance with Section 287 of the constitution.
El-Zakzaky and his wife have been
in detention since 2015 when some of his followers clashed with soldiers in
Zaria, Kaduna state.
Falana is also the counsel of
Sowore.
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