Convinced that President Muhammadu Buhari’s attempt to explain away his illegal reluctance to release former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo

Dasuki (rtd) and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, despite court order directing that they should be granted bail, amounted to a nullity and a grave affront to constitutionalism, Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has asked him to have a rethink before he drags Nigeria further down the path of anarchy and lawlessness.

The pro-democracy group was reacting to the president’s maiden media chat in Abuja on Wednesday, where he partly stated: ‘Considering the weight of the crimes the duo are accused of committing against the Nigerian state, if they are allowed to enjoy any form of freedom, they are likely to jump bail.’

The group recalled that Dasuki, who was immediate past National Security Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is standing multiple trials over alleged diversion of over $2.2 billion budgeted for the procurement of arms meant for the fight against insurgency; and sharing same to top public officers and close associates of the former administration. “He was on Wednesday, illegally re-arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), after he had been granted bail by three different courts.”

The rights group accused President Buhari of “resorting to self-help measures, which are antithetical to democracy which clearly specifies powers and functions to different institutions for the purposes of engendering good governance and civility.”

HURIWA recalled Buhari saying: ‘And the one you are calling Kanu, do you know he had two passports – one Nigerian, one British – and he came into the country without any? Do you know he brought equipment into this country and was broadcasting Radio Biafra? Which kind of government do you think should harbour that kind of person?’

In its reaction, HURIWA berated the President for playing God and for hijacking the constitutional judicial powers of competent courts, as enshrined in section 6 of the supreme law of Nigeria: 1999 Constitution (as amended). It tasked the National Judicial Council and stakeholders in the justice sector to speak out or risk the systematic degrading and demolition of the constitutional powers of the courts by the executive arm of government at the centre under the current federal administration.

In the reaction endorsed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said should the hierarchies of the Nigerian judiciary remain silent, apparently because of the northern regional affiliations of the leaderships of the three courts – the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court - to President Buhari, the organisd civil society community must brace up for a long-winding confrontation with the emerging tyranny in Aso Rock Presidential Villa, before the democracy project is undermined by reactionary forces who dominate the current federal government.

HURIWA accused Buhari of having strong aversion to the constitutional principle of separation of powers, as he would rather dictate to the competent courts of law the modus operandi for entertaining cases the Nigerian government brings before the judges.

“What then is the essence of creating courts of law if brute force would be deployed by Mr President to achieve his predetermined outcomes of cases his government files against perceived political opponents, or persons suspected of committing crimes against the state?” the group queried. HURIWA charged the Federal Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, to either get his principal to respect the law or he quits honorably or, better still, he can be stripped of the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, if he proves incapable of defending the sanctity of the judicial institution.

The rights group noted: "We are deeply troubled by the caustic and vicious tones of President Muhammadu Buhari in his just-ended maiden media chat and, especially, his predisposition to disrespect court orders that do not comply with his dictates and whims. His reason for his serial non-compliance to subsisting and binding orders of competent courts of law is itself high treason. President Muhammadu Buhari must be called to order. The National Assembly and the Judiciary must stand up to defend our hard-fought democracy and stop the current President from endangering the supremacy of the Constitution, which he had taken an oath of office, administered by the head of the judicial arm of government, to comply with totally. Under constitutional democracy, the respect for the constitutional principle of rule of law is sacrosanct non-negotiable.”

•Photo shows Nnamdi Kanu.

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