The Senate on Tuesday resolved to debate allegations of constitutional and human rights violations by the Federal Government.

The enactment of the controversial “Executive Order No. 006 as an Executive legislation which allows security agents to freeze suspicious assets without recourse to court and the continued detention of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), in total disregard of court orders, were listed for debate by the senators.

The issues were listed in a motion titled: “Alarming rise in cases of alleged human rights violations and consistent assault on the provisions of the 1999 Constitution by the Executive.”

Notable instances of such human rights violations are well documented by the Human Rights Watch and other reputable human rights organizations and they include the following:

Continuous detention of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), for over two years in total disregard of over four court orders including that of the ECOWAS Court which granted him bail pending his trial over money laundering charges.
Continuous incarceration of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria also known as Shiite, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaki, for over two years contrary to an order of the Federal High Court which ordered his release in 2016.

Others include: lack of accountability for human rights violations by security agencies and other militant elements including armed herdsmen, heavy-handed violent responses to peaceful protests as exemplified by previous crackdown on agitators for the Independent State of Biafra (IP0B) and the recent violent clashes between the police and suspected members of the MN who were protesting the release of their leader, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaki, in Abuja and Kaduna respectively.

•Text excerpted from The Nation

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