- Legal luminary and human rights activist, Femi Falana, says President Muhammadu Buhari never disobeyed court orders during his administration as military head of state
- Falana says Buhari has not shown enough respect for judicial decisions in a democratic dispensation
- The senior lawyer says he will write to the attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, to find out why
Human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has said President Muhammadu Buhari always obeyed court orders during his tenure as head of state.
The statement was made by the senior lawyer during a public lecture on the 30th anniversary of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).
Recall that President Buhari piloted the affairs of Nigeria as military head of state from December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985.
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Falana said he would write to the attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to find out why President Buhari has not shown enough respect for judicial decisions in a democratic dispensation, The Nation reports.
Legit.ng notes that Falana said: “Thirty years ago, it would have been impossible to assemble to discuss human rights in our country. Notwithstanding that we are currently having what you might call rickety democracy, there are gains, all the struggles of over 30 years, that we must celebrate today.
“I just remember this morning trying to write a letter to the Attorney-General of the Federation and I find, very painfully, that whereas the Buhari/Idiagbon regime complied with all court orders for the release of those who were held illegally under the state security detention of persons Decree No 2 of 1984, we cannot say the same today under a democratic government.
“If you get a copy of Gani Fawehinmi’s book on Nigerian law on habeas corpus, all the judgments of our courts during the military dictatorship of Gowon up to the Buhari/Idiagbon regime, all the cases are documented in that book; not on a single occasion did the military regimes detain anybody who had been ordered to be released by the court. They could manipulate; they could filibuster, but ultimately they got everybody released.”
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Nigeria’s senior lawyer, Femi Falana, accused the members of the National Assembly of toying with the security of the country over their refusal to approve state policing.
Falana said: “With profound respect, the members of the National Assembly are toying with the security of our country.
“How can the Senate in this stage and time be passing resolution asking for state police? Or the House of Representatives requesting the president to come and address the members of the National Assembly on the security situation in the country.”
The human rights lawyer was said to be reacting to the attacks in some parts of the country as well as security threats in other areas.
The lawyer wants the creation of state police, saying this would help in addressing such threats and augment for the shortage of the personnel in the nation’s police system.
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Source: Legit.ng
