By Becky Adi
Contrary to the tepid explanation offered by the Minister of Justice and Federal Attorney General Alhaji Abubakar Malami(SAN) that government won’t disclose identity of sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria because that will imperil or undermine investigation, the CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCACY GROUP-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) said he was being economical with the truth because his office had already filed the suit before the competent court of law meaning that investigations are concluded just as the Rights group said the government is heavily PRO-MOSLEM NORTH and is just protecting the interest of the region from which key players of the government came from.
The Rights group said assuming without conceding that the so called investigations aren’t concluded, how can the naming of sponsors of terrorism that has threatened public safety and national security destroy the investigative process? This doesn’t just make sense, HURIWA insisted just as the Rights group similarly carpeted the chief judge of Federal High Court for not allowing accredited journalists to have unfettered access to the records of the indicted persons because once a matter is filed in court it becomes a public document that can be access using official procedure for filing application and request for the information.
The Rights group said the current minister of justice is working against the spirit and the principle of the FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT that are found both in the constitution and the legislative piece if law known as the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 2015. “By the way, naming and shaming suspects already taken to court is both morally and legally permissible “.
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) RECALLED that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, had stated that the administration will not name sponsors of terrorism at the moment so it won’t jeopardise investigations. The AGF stated this while speaking to journalists in New York, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Umar Gwandu, on Wednesday.
Responding to the affirmation of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice regarding the concealment of the identities of the sponsors of boko haram terrorists the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) also told the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice that millions of Nigerians have seen through the government’s unimaginative and poor logic because the same government recently disclosed that 400 sponsors of boko haram terrorists are already dragged to the Federal High Court Abuja division and indeed the Chief judge of the Federal High Court had already assigned both the judge and the date for the commencement of the suit had been communicated to the members of the public.
HURIWA then wonders why the Federal Attorney General is being clever by half by dishing out jaundiced, highly toxic and outrightly despicable tales by moonlight in which he thinks he can deceive even the youngest infant with such an illogical and infantile excuse he has offered for not releasing the NAMES of the sponsors of boko haram terrorists. The truth is that 99 percent of those doing the bureau de change business in Kano where the bulk of the suspects were allegedly caught are Moslem North and so it is clear that most of the decisions of this government including granting Amnesty to boko haram terrorists that have killed over 33, 000 citizens, these decisions are highly irresponsible and are just NORTHERN SETTLEMENT FOR TERRORISTS and nothing more. “It is unreasonable that a government is much more interested in protecting terrorists and their sponsors than the victims and indeed against the collective interests of the Nigerian public. This is absurd and comical”.
HURIWA has therefore told the Federal High Court to publicise the NAMES OF THE SUDPECTED SOONSORS OF BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS BECAUSE THE COURT HAS THE JUDICIAL POWERS OF THE FEDERATION IN LINE WITH Section 6 OF THE 1999 CONSTITUTION which states thus: 6(1) The judicial powers of the Federation shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established for the Federation. (2) The judicial powers of a State shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established, subject as provided by this Constitution, for a State. (3) The courts to which this section relates, established by this Constitution for the Federation and for the States, specified in subsection (5) (a) to (1) of this section, shall be the only superior courts of record in Nigeria; and save as otherwise prescribed by the National Assembly or by the House of Assembly of a State, each court shall have all the powers of a superior court of record. (4) Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this section shall be construed as precluding:- (a) the National Assembly or any House of Assembly from establishing courts, other than those to which this section relates, with subordinate jurisdiction to that of a High Court; (b) the National Assembly or any House of Assembly, which does not require it, from abolishing any court which it has power to establish or which it has brought into being.(5) This section relates to:- (a) the Supreme Court of Nigeria; (b) the Court of Appeal; (c) the Federal High Court; (d) the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; (e) a High Court of a State(f) the Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja;(g) a Sharia Court of Appeal of a State; (h) the Customary Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; (i) a Customary Court of Appeal of a State;(j) such other courts as may be authorised by law to exercise jurisdiction on matters with respect to which the National Assembly may make laws; and (k) such other court as may be authorised by law to exercise jurisdiction at first instance or on appeal on matters with respect to which a House of Assembly may make laws.(6) The judicial powers vested in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this section – (a) shall extend, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this constitution, to all inherent powers and sanctions of a court of law (b) shall extend, to all matters between persons, or between government or authority and to any persons in Nigeria, and to all actions and proceedings relating thereto, for the determination of any question as to the civil rights and obligations of that person; (c) shall not except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, extend to any issue or question as to whether any act of omission by any authority or person or as to whether any law or any judicial decision is in conformity with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy set out in Chapter II of this Constitution; (d) shall not, as from the date when this section comes into force, extend to any action or proceedings relating to any existing law made on or after 15th January, 1966 for determining any issue or question as to the competence of any authority or person to make any such law.
HURIWA recalled that the Federal High Court Abuja division had fixed September 17th for arraignment of the 400 suspected sponsors of boko haram terrorists for their roles in funding terrorists in the last ten years that has killed over 33, 000 Nigerians.
HURIWA recalled that the Presidency had in March announced the arrest of the suspects, mainly Bureau De Change operators for allegedly facilitating the transfer of money to Boko Haram terrorists.
Some Nigerians were said to be transferring the funds to the sect from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in conjunction with the BDC operators.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), had announced that arrangements had been concluded to arraign the suspects who were arrested and interrogated by the State Security Service (SSS).
There have been public concerns over the delay in commencement of the trial with human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), writing to the AGF seeking fiat to the attorneys general of states for the prosecutions.
Falana expressed concerns that sponsors of terrorism arrested for taking part in the kidnapping, armed robbery and extrajudicial killing of unarmed citizens had not been prosecuted by the attorneys-general of their respective states
“It is such official impunity that has accentuated the violent attacks on innocent people by the so-called bandits and unknown gunmen. In many instances, the suspects were arrested and paraded by the police and other law enforcement agencies but released to continue their criminal activities,” he said.
