One of the most salient components of democracy is the freedom to exercise your right to free speech. However, in much of Africa whereby democracy has been embraced, the exercise of this fundamental freedom can come with a number of challenges, from those who hate democratic freedoms and would rather canvass demagoguery. Nigeria under the current administration has witnessed the elevation of demagoguery to a state-craft, in a very ugly dimension.

The above intriguing scenario have just played out in the last couple of days since the insinuations gained heightened currency: the alleged release from life sentence of a notorious terrorist – convicted for the murder of over 50 worshippers in December 2011 at the Catholic Church in Madala, near Abuja-known simply as Kabiru Sokoto.

When these speculative stories circulated on the social media platforms, the group I head - Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) – took it upon itself to openly demand accountability from the Federal Government, so as to clear the confusion currently building up around the insinuations that President Muhammadu Buhari had indeed set free this highly dreaded and notorious terror mastermind – Kabiru Sokoto.

In order to put all these in proper logical context, readers need to be reminded that these rumours on the release of this terrorist began the moment President Buhari, two weeks ago, in Nairobi, Kenya, gave clear indication to a prisoners’ swap deal with the Boko Haram terrorists. President uhari confirmed the readiness of his administration to enter into prisoners’ swap deal with the Boko Haram terrorists for the release of the nearly 200 Chibok school girls allegedly kidnapped over two years ago, by same terrorists who are now demanding prisoner-exchange for their hostages to be freed. Some media reports in the past had listed Kabiru Sokoto as one of the terror masterminds whose release is being demanded by the hierarchy of this terror gang operating from the North-east of Nigeria. Also in Buhari's Tweeter handle, the Nigerian President did not mince words in restating his administration’s readiness to enter into exchange of prisoners with Boko Haram terrorists for the Chibok girls. While attending a conference of African economies in Kenya funded by Japan, Buhari gave clearer condition that the involvement of foreign non-governmental organisations in the negotiations with Boko Haram terrorists on the concept of prisoners’ swap for Chibok girls was imperative.

So the saying by the people of old that ‘there is no smoke without fire’ finds a very scientific basis in the above scenario surrounding the rumoured release of one of the most notorious and dangerous terrorists ever convicted since the last five years that the serial attacks on civilian and government targets commenced. It would then amount to revisionism and, indeed, an act of wickedness for any sycophant to categorise the insinuations surrounding the alleged release of Kabiru Sokoto as hatred for Mr President.

It is both lawfully permissible and, indeed, constitutionally guaranteed, that the people of Nigeria are entitled to quality information from the government whose only legitimacy and authority is drawn from the same people. So why should any commentator dabble into the arena of barefaced partisanship by dismissing the rational concerns of Nigerians as an act of ‘hatred’ for President Buhari?

Section 14 (2) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) unambiguously states as follows: “Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority.”

Again, from the same section aforementioned we are told as follows: “The participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this constitution.”

Proceeding further, in Chapter four of the Constitution and specifically in section 39 (1) the fundamental freedom of expression is expressly guaranteed thus: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.”

The idea that some persons, apparently out of sheer mischief, could pick up their pen and brand those seeking information about Kabiru Sokoto’s current status as ‘haters’ of President Buhari is unfortunate. It is a sharp reminder of what the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire brought out in his work on the theme of the relationship between the oppressors and the oppressed, and capped it up in his philosophical treatise by saying: “During the initial stage of the struggle, the oppressed tend to become oppressors.” He then challenged us all in the following beautiful words: “The greatest humanistic and historical task of the oppressed is to liberate themselves and their oppressors.”

Look at it this way, Kabiru Sokoto was convicted for the gruesome slaughter of nearly four dozen Catholic worshippers. And the symbolic timing of that wicked act of terrorism was during the Christmas Mass to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Amongst those who were cut down in their prime of life by the car bombs planted and detonated by the terrorists, including Kabiru Sokoto, as affirmed by the court, were little babies, women and the elderly. This is a serious crime against humanity and no reason whatsoever could be adduced for any grant of presidential pardon for such a callous criminal. What is the crime of those Nigerians who raised the concerns on social media that Mr Kabiru Sokoto has been set free? There is absolutely no crime in embarking on public inquisition from a civilian government that the people brought to power, particularly when the head of this current government has been quoted as saying that he would embark on prisoners’ swap with Boko Haram terrorists.

To borrow from one of the greatest thinkers the world has ever seen, Mr Frantz Fanon, I believe that the best way to erect a formidable democracy in Nigeria is for those of us who have the privilege of accessing the media to decolonise our colonised mental state, and begin to see political office-holders as persons who must render proper accountability to the people on every one of their actions.

For anyone to equate or interpret the inquiry on the whereabouts of a convicted terrorist like Kabiru Sokoto with ‘hatred’ of the President of Nigeria is as good as falling into the trap of exhibiting the “tendency of the oppressed peoples to mimic the behaviour and attitudes of ruling elites, which amounts to demagoguery.”

There is nothing untoward to have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to tell Nigerians if he has freed the only Boko Haram terrorist convicted for the killing of over 50 worshippers at the Madala Catholic Church near Abuja. Readers must recall that it was only a few months back that Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court, Abuja, sentenced to life imprisonment, Mallam Kabiru Abubakar Dikko a.k.a Kabiru Sokoto. As at 2015 he was being held in Kuje Prison following his conviction over his role in connection with the 2011 Christmas Day bombing at the St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Mandalla, Niger State, be remanded in Kuje Prison.

The blast in respect of which he was given life conviction claimed about 44 lives and wounded 75 others. He was charged with failure to disclose the plan to law-enforcement officers as soon as practicable, an offence contrary to Section 7(1) and punishable under Section 33(1) of Terrorism and Prevention Act 2011. Kabiru Sokoto was further accused of supporting the act of terrorism by training 500 men and inciting them to commit a terrorist act, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) and punishable under Section 33(1)(b) of Terrorism and Prevention Act 2011. The accused allegedly facilitated the commission of terrorist act to wit: by planting and encouraging some boys (now at large) at Mabira Sokoto in Sokoto State with the intention to bomb the police headquarters and some other government agencies in the state.

The alleged offence is contrary to Section 15(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004, and punishable under the same Act. Since the Buhari administration accepted to free some Boko Haram terrorists being detained in exchange for the elusive Chibok school girls kidnapped over two years ago, the social media platforms are replete with reports of the release of this notorious terror mastermind, who is one of the very few already convicted. This is understandable given the clear indications to embark on prisoners’ swap as affirmed by the President on several occasions within and outside our shores. To be candid, it would amount to dancing on the graves of the innocent souls slaughtered by these terrorists for the current government to enter into this sort of satanic arrangement to set free a man who plotted the bombing of a Catholic Church filled up with worshippers, thereby resulting in the slaughter of scores of Nigerians including babies and the elderly.

Moreover, the current Federal Government has so far failed to aggressively prosecute the terror suspects in detention, but has decided to engage in subterranean deals with dreaded armed terrorists for whatever considerations which are however, unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic. This same group has continued in their killing spree of innocent Nigerians and coercing innocent toddlers to be sent out as suicide bombers under the influence of drugs and hallucinations. Currently, reports are circulating of a new threat by Boko Haram terrorists to manually kidnap President Buhari.

There is, therefore, no hatred in asking President Buhari to address Nigerians and clear the impression that his government has “decidedly released a hardened terrorist convicted for his crimes against humanity even when political prisoners like Mr Nnamdi Kanu is languishing in prison. The Nigeria Prisons service is said to have debunked the speculations about Kabiru Sokoto, only after these rumours swirled around for some time. Our group took the gauntlet to decently ask for clarification, which some overzealous sycophants are interpreting as ‘hatred’ for Mr President, as if the President belongs to them exclusively. Let the Nigerian government allow credible non-governmental bodies and select private and public media to verify empirically the veracity of the government's counter-claim that Kabiru Sokoto is still serving the life sentence. This is not too much a demand in a democracy, if the (Nigerian) government is of the people for the people and by the people, as Abraham Lincoln, post-independence President of the United States of America, defined the term Democracy.

•RIGHTSVIEW appears on Wednesdays, in addition to special appearances. The Columnist, popular activist Emmanuel Onwubiko, is a former Federal Commissioner of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission and presently National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA). He can be reached via 08033327672 (sms only) or via doziebiko@yahoo.com

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