• Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact
Premium Times Opinion
Saturday, March 6, 2021
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
No Result
View All Result
Premium Times Opinion
Home Editorial

EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

by Premium Times
December 14, 2019
3 min read
4


The frightening scale of impunity and arbitrary conduct under the presidency of General Muhammadu Buhari plumbed new depths on Friday, December 6 when armed operatives of the State Security Service (often called the Department of State Services – DSS), invaded Federal High Court No. 7 in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

In a bid to re-arrest Omoyele Sowore and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, both of whom were only released on bail in delayed compliance with the ruling of the court by the same SSS barely twenty four hours earlier, the operatives, some of whom were masked and armed, recklessly and violently violated the hallowed chambers of the law.

In one fell swoop, the operatives desecrated a court room, made a mess of the separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, and gratuitously infringed the fundamental rights of Messrs Sowore and Bakare to enjoy the bail that had been granted them. Our democracy was brought into disrepute through this most unfortunate action.

We are now at that point where it is being argued that never in the history of Nigeria, including during the colonial period and the dark days of military rule, has such brazen act of disrespect for the sanctity of our law courts and independence of the judiciary been perpetrated.

Embarrassed by the opprobrium that greeted and continues to greet its conduct, the SSS, through Peter Afunanya, its spokesperson, disingenuously claimed that the entire scene was stage-managed by Mr Sowore and his team of lawyers.
This is a puerile and futile attempt to cover up an event whose eye witnesses were many and diverse – lawyers, journalists, civil society, human rights, trade union and political activists, and many others.

The SSS, as it is wont, appeared ignorant of advances in information technology and thus was shocked that audiences in Nigeria and elsewhere watched footage of its macabre display of barbarism in the name of effecting an arrest, the grounds for which remain dubious, at best.

We recall that after spending over 90 days in detention, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu finally granted bail to Messrs Sowore and Bakare after they had produced the needed sureties; but on the condition that the two of them would be confined to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Despite the order, which received public acclaim, the SSS held on to the two men, giving different excuses as to why it could not comply with the ruling of the court. Miffed by such unbecoming conduct, Justice Ojukwu had to give the security outfit 24 hours within which to comply with her ruling, while also awarding N100,000 damages to Mr. Sowore.

When, however, the substantive matter came up for hearing last Friday, the SSS showed it had another game plan, but one which could not disguise its anger towards the court, by going after the two men they had earlier released. The drama and embarrassment were such that Justice Ojukwu had to hurriedly adjourn proceedings before she was spirited into safety by her security details.

We are greatly concerned that the SSS under the leadership of Yusuf Bichi has repeatedly acted as if it is above the laws of the land. The serial violations of the fundamental human rights of the citizens by the security outfit since Mr. Bichi assumed the reins of leadership and the disdain with which it has been treating the judicial arm of government through flagrant disobedience of court orders that seek to put a stop to such violations, have indeed become routine.

Evidently, Mr. Bichi’s SSS has become a major threat to the norms and values of a democratic system. The time has come for Mr. Yusuf Bichi to step down as the head of the organisation. We hereby demand that he should immediately step down as the boss of the SSS. We also demand that the SSS tenders a public apology to the judiciary for its unwarranted assault on the sacred institution.

We are also greatly worried that the presidency is speaking from both sides of its mouth on an incident that has angered persons of goodwill the world over. While, on one hand, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, claimed that the presidency did not order the re-arrest of Sowore, he, on the other, sought to justify the assault on him inside the court premises by stating that the relationship between Sowore and the SSS should not come as a surprise to the public, as his call for a ‘revolution’ (even when Sowore had clearly defined the civil, and certainly not armed, parameters of this group’s protest) had made him a target of the secret police.

We find this kind of argument unreasonable and hereby call on President Buhari to order a public probe of the incident of December 6, if indeed his government did not order the crude invasion of the court of law.

We call on the government to reassure Nigerians that it wants to govern according to the rule of law by pledging to obey court orders, while also bringing to justice any agency of the government that violates democratic and legal norms.

Enough is enough!

Photo Credit: Guardian Nigeria.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • More
  • Pocket
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Previous Post

Culture and Doing Business In Africa (1), By Rafiq Raji

Next Post

2020 Budget: Another Missed Opportunity, By Emmanuel Nwachukwu

Related Posts

EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19
Editorial

EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

January 28, 2021
Monetary Policy and Barriers To Doing Business, By Uddin Ifeanyi
Editorial

EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

September 16, 2020
The Corona Virus Challenge, Nigeria and Other Responses, By Reuben Abati
Editorial

EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

March 27, 2020
EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria
Editorial

EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

October 16, 2019
EDITORIAL: President Buhari Must Release Sowore Now!
Editorial

EDITORIAL: President Buhari Must Release Sowore Now!

September 23, 2019
EDITORIAL: NBC Vs. DAAR Communications: What All Parties Should Do
Editorial

EDITORIAL: NBC Vs. DAAR Communications: What All Parties Should Do

June 14, 2019
Next Post
Africa and Five Hundred Years of the Protestant Reformation, By Emmanuel Nwachukwu

2020 Budget: Another Missed Opportunity, By Emmanuel Nwachukwu

Pius Adesanmi: The Man Who Leaves and Lives, By Toyin Falola

Tunji Olaopa At 60: The Man of Faith Sans the Collar, By Toyin Falola

Editorial

  • EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

    EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

  • EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

    EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

  • EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

    EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

  • EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

    EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

  • EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

    EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

Subscribe to our Opinion articles via email

Enter your email address to get notifications of new opinion articles as they are published.

Join 526,525 other subscribers

Most Popular

  • Nnamdi Kanu and Buhari’s Purported Death: The Facts and Fiction (2), By Nonso Robert Attoh
    Nnamdi Kanu and Buhari’s Purported Death: The Facts and Fiction (2), By Nonso Robert Attoh
  • The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • The Qualities of a Good Leader In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Qualities of a Good Leader In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • What is the Nigerian Dream?, By Taiwo Odukoya
    What is the Nigerian Dream?, By Taiwo Odukoya
  • Enenche, the Glory Dome and Critics: One Year After, By Festus Owete
    Enenche, the Glory Dome and Critics: One Year After, By Festus Owete
  • Islam Doesn't Allow A Husband To Beat Or Slap His Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
    Islam Doesn't Allow A Husband To Beat Or Slap His Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
    Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau

Like us on Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Podcasts

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

  • Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.