BREAKING NEWS, Politics
–
SAVE Lagos Group, SLG, a human rights organisation has given the government to seven days ultimatum to release Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, from police custody or face a court action.
The group in a statement issued on Wednesday, September 28, said that the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, must also pay El-Zakzaky huge sums as compensation over his continued detention, which it declared as an infringement of his fundamental human rights.
Failure to do that, the SLG vowed to sue the police force, the federal and Kaduna state governments after the expiry of the seven-day ultimatum to enforce the fundamental rights of the detainees.
The statement signed by Sulaiman Adeniyi, convener of the SLG and Olaolu Oladipo, director of the Media and Strategy, similarly canvassed the implementation of the contents of the commission of enquiry, which allegedly indicted personnel of the Nigerian Army for the December 12 and 14 clash between members of the sect and the Army.
Quoting Section 35, subsections 4 and 5 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which states that “Any person who is arrested or detained in accordance with subsection 1C of this section shall be brought before a court of law within a reasonable time. The group argued that the fundamental rights of El-Zakzaky had been violated. He also pointed at the subsection 5 states that “A reasonable time means therefore:- (a) in the case of an arrest or detention in any place where there is a court of competent jurisdiction within a radius of 40 kilometres a period of one day.”
The SLG, therefore, opined that from the relevant sections of the constitution, it had become obvious the Police had acted outside of the law by the continued detention of El-Zakzaky and his followers.
“We are calling on the Inspector-General of the Nigerian Police Force, Ibrahim Idris to release El-Zakzaky and some members of the sect who are currently languishing in police cells across the country with immediate effect. Our position is premised on the fact that his fundamental human rights have been infringed upon by his continued incarceration.
“We are also calling for adequate compensation to El-Zakzaky and his members for the incalculable loss they have suffered materially, physically and emotionally. We are even more concerned with the information making the rounds regarding his fast deteriorating health, which we believe has taken a turn for the worse in recent times.” The duo wrote,” the group said.
Besides, the SLG also wants the implementation of the reports of the commission of inquiry set up by the Kaduna State government into the clash that claimed the lives of more than 400 members of the sect.
“We are also using the opportunity provided this platform to call on the Federal Government to expedite action on the prosecution of indicted members of the Nigerian Army who have been found culpable in the gruesome killings of members of the sect at their Zaria base last December.”
— Sep 28, 2016 @ 16:50 GMT
|
Tags:
