Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has hailed Friday’s ruling by the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the release of the leader of the Shi’ite Muslim sect, Ibrahim Zakzaky, and his wife, as well as payment of payment of N50 million damages awarded against the Department of State Service (DSS).

The governor, who had called for the release of El-Zakzaky two weeks ago, however said he won’t be surprised if the federal government does not obey the judgment, adding: “The judgement will be for posterity even if in their usual style of impunity, those holding power in Abuja ignore the judgment.”

He called on men of the judiciary to save democracy in Nigeria as well as Nigerians from tyranny by being courageous and firm even in the face of intimidation, harassment, blackmail and character assassination by those whose desire is to muscle opposition and turn Nigeria to as one party state.

In a statement issued late on Friday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose reiterated his earlier call on the International Criminal Court (ICC), Amnesty International and other world bodies to investigate extra judicial killings in the country in the last 15 months, especially the murder of over 300 Shi’ite Muslims in Zaria and killing of over 150 Biafra activists.

He said under international human rights law governing the use of firearms during policing operations, the intentional use of lethal force is only permitted when strictly unavoidable, to protect life.

Governor Fayose noted that the detention since last year December, of El-Sakzaky, after the murder of over 300 of his followers was inhuman and wicked, saying: “The DSS claim that El-Zakzaky was being detained to protect him is not only laughable but barbaric. How can you keep someone in detention for 12 months and claim that you are protecting him? Against what?”

The governor, who described the APC led Federal Government as law breaker, noted that “the kind of impunity against the law of Nigeria being witnessed now has never happened before. Even the military still obeyed court judgements but here we are with a democratically elected government that holds our constitution with contempt.”

“I congratulate Justice Gabriel Kolawole and the entire judiciary for once against giving Nigerians hope that democracy can still survive and rule of law can still be sustained.

“The judiciary must remain steadfast in its uphold of the rule of law, so as to save Nigerians who are now being held by the jugular by those who do not want anyone that is not in the same political camp with them to exist,” he said.

•Photo shows Governor Fayose.

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