The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), a civil rights advocacy group, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, and other members of the committee for attending the burial of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, without observing social distancing rules.

It accused Mr. Mustapha of violating the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC's) protocols on burial of dead bodies from the COVID-19 pandemic stating that they ought to self quarantine and to also subject themselves to prosecution for flouting of the lockdown order by the Federal Government.

HURIWA said the apologies tendered by the “discredited” Chairman of the PTF was insufficient to atone for “the gross misjudgment and the flagrant breach” of the fundamental law guiding the declaration of lockdown in Nigeria by President Buhari as a way of containing the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.

The rights group said allowing Mr. Mustapha to continue to preside over the strategic task force on COVID-19 will give the impression that Nigeria is a country of two laws - one for the commoners and the other for the ruling elite who are apparently above the law, adding that it will be a complete manifestation of tolerance for lawlessness should no action be adopted to penalize him as well as the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the President, Mr. Garba Shehu.

In a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said that it was “disgraceful and an unmitigated insult on our collective national psyche for Mr. Mustapha to boldly flout the established protocols made by the NCDC and thereby putting the lives of the rest of the public in Abuja at grave risks of contracting the severe virus which has no known cure yet and to have the temerity to still attend the national briefing session of the PTF on Covid-19 in the nation’s capital.

“It is unimaginable that in Abuja, the same seat of political power of Nigeria and the custodian of the central law making organ for the entire nation that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation who should show good example is the person that led some other members of the PTF on COVID-19 to abuse and disobey clearly established laws and regulations meant to keep Nigeria safe but he is being treated as a sacred cow whereas hundreds of poor residents of Abuja and Lagos, such as Ms Funke Akindele, who committed same infractions of violating the social distancing rules were prosecuted and convicted.

“We must never create the impression that some persons are bigger than the law. It is in that frame of mind that we believe that the right cause of action is for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other members PTF to quit the committee on Covid-19 and present themselves to the mobile court in Abuja to be prosecuted for the offences of violating the social distancing rules just like all other Nigerian citizens who have been so prosecuted. He has to exit the PTF or be sacked by the President.

“In other civilized climes, such a person would even be sacked from his political position. But we are not going as far as demanding that he be dismissed from the position of the SGF because he is the only Christian holding a strategic national position under a highly sectional administration of President Buhari. But we are recommending his sack from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.”

HURIWA however dismissed the hurriedly packaged apologies from Mr. Mustapha as too little too late and that there was no better way of telling Nigerians that the current administration tolerates impunity and disregard for the laws than to allow Mr. Mustapha as well as other members who flouted the protocols to remain on their seats as members of the PTF driving the process of implementing a national response to the rampaging Covid-19 disease.

“We must demolish this mountain of hypocrisy being erected by the Federal Government and we must insist that the laws, rules and regulations must be respected by all and sundry because the rule of law is paramount and nobody is above the law,” HURIWA said.

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