A group, Civil Society Groups for Peace, Sustainable Security and National Development has warned the Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission in Nigeria to refrain from commenting on the trial of Convener of #Revolution Now protests and publisher of Sahara Reporters and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare. The duo is facing trial for alleged conspiracy to commit treason, money laundering, and insulting the President.
The accused were granted bail last Thursday, after spending 123 days in the detention facility of the Department of State Services but Sowore was rearrested within the premises of the Abuja Federal High Court shortly after Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu presiding over his trial had adjourned the case till next February.
But in a press statement read to newsmen by Convener of the group, Comrade Adamu Matazu, who led his group in protest to the national assembly, they claimed that Sowore was a threat to national security.
Despite the court bail granted the accused, the group further claimed that indefinite suspension of Omoyele Sowore has since been settled by the Supreme Court in the case of Asari Dokubo.
The group cautioned Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission to stop what it called ”needless meddlesomeness in our national security affairs.”
The statement read in part:” As a collection of patriots we are duty-bound to take a stand on issues that affects our national security and development, and with potentials to cause full pledge conflagration. We have had bitter experience of civil war which consumes over 2 millions of our compatriots, therefore we can’t afford to travel the same road again.
”In a landmark judgement of the supreme court in a case of Asari Dokubo (Appellant) Vs Federal Republic of Nigeria (Respondents) S. C. 208/2006, the supreme court ruled as follows “…where National Security is threatened or there is the real likelihood of it being threatened Human rights or individuals rights of those responsible take second place. Human rights or individual rights must be suspended until the National security can be protected or well taken care of.”
”Against this backdrop, we as the conscience of democracy, human right and undisputable champion of human rights wishes to state the following position.
That there is nothing repressive or suppressive about the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari rather it is a new era of transparency, respect for rule of law and security.
0 Comments