Human rights lawyer and a former Chairman of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Monday Ubani, has urged the Federal Government and its agencies to maintain rule of law and obey every court order, else, Nigerians will take their destinies into their hands.
Mr. Ubani gave the warning, on Wednesday, while reacting to the fight between the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and officials of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) at the Federal High Court in Lagos State, on Tuesday, over the custody of the suspended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
He said it had become obvious that Nigeria’s judiciary and its powers are being undermined “by such lawless and senseless display of power by the officers of DSS at the court premises.”
According to Mr. Ubani, “The legal profession cannot afford to be silent when everything about it is being threatened or destroyed by lawless government officials. It is dangerous!
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“The truth is that the order of the court was explicit on who should take custody of the Defendant, in this case Mr Emefiele, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“It is appalling that DSS that had him for over a month was eager to take him back into custody despite the express order of the court.
“What more offences are they desiring to investigate which they did not complete for over one month they had him in their custody? Were they not the ones that came up with the miserable charge of illegal possession of firearms after his long detention? It is now they want to investigate the alleged funding of terrorism? We joke too much in this country!
“Who actually should be blamed in the circumstance, DSS or Correctional Centre?
“If we take into account that before yesterday there had been several court orders that directed the release or arraignment of Mr Emefiele which were observed in breach by DSS, we cannot but lay appropriate blame on the doorstep of the culprit, which is DSS. No prevarications gentlemen!”
Mr. Ubani said that the attitude and exercise of power by the DSS under this new dispensation needs to be interrogated, adding, “Their penchant and impunity in disobeying court orders needs the bold condemnation of the Nigerian Bar Association to nip their contempt for rule of law in the bud.”
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“We do not need to patronise them at all as they are hell bent on destroying the rule of law and by extension our had won democracy.”
Warning against the danger of Bola Tinubu-led government derailing from rule of law, Ubani said, “I believe that President Tinubu’s government owes Nigerians the onerous responsibility to toe the line of rule of law and obedience to court orders under his government.
“If he chooses to go the way of other regimes in Nigeria, let him rest assured that patriotic minded Nigerians will resist him and his planned autocratic regime.
“The citizens have suffered enough and are ready to take their destinies in their hands this time around. A word is enough.”