The order by the Federal Government through the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), for the immediate release of Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), who has been in detention for about four years and Omoyele Sowore, who has been detained since August 2019, is salutary for democracy, respect for fundamental rights of the citizens and observance of rule of law.

I am happy the government has finally realized its faux pas and is seeing the same light which I saw since 2015, when I kicked against the illegal incarceration of Dasuki.

It is never too late to take corrective measures and make amends. There is nothing like something good happening at a bad time or something bad happening at a good time. This government is beginning to see the importance of the rule of law prevailing over the rule of the thumb and over so-called national security, which is a euphemism for the security of a government in power.

The government should immediately add El-Zakzaky to the list of detainees to be released, because the whole world, aside from government apologists and grovelers, see all of them as political prisoners.

Respect for the rule of law and citizens’ fundamental rights constitutes some of the key building blocks of democracy.

Obedience to court orders, however distasteful, constitutes the irreducible minimum of a civilized nation.

The government should build on this fresh air of freedom to stop tormenting Nigerians with maximum fear and subjugation, making them discuss in whispers and walking sumnabulistically like Ayi Kwei Armah’s ‘the living dead.’

I thank Mr. President. I commend the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), for this democratic gesture.

SEIZURE OF ONNOGHEN’S PASSPORT, ILL ADVISED

The fresh news (of course, usually very negative from this government) is that retired Justice Onnoghen’s passport has been seized and that he has been barred from travelling abroad. The government should immediately rescind this ill-advised decision which simply amounts not just to an overkill of a reverred Supreme Court Justice already totally humiliated through forced removal from office, without being found guilty of any crime, it also suggests vendetta and vengeance carried too far.

What is Onnoghen’s crime? That he served his country faithfully, diligently and probably stepped on some sensitive and untouchable toes? That he was forced out of office without first being found guilty of any crime? That it took the Court of Appeal over two months to deliver judgement affirming his not being given a fair hearing, only after he had been humiliated out of office, a case of shutting the stable after the horse had bolted? That he was seen as a cog in the wheel of the then forthcoming February 23, 2019 presidential election over which he was expected to play a prominent role, and had to be booted out on 29th January.

“Having inflicted these irretrievable punishments on him, can’t this government allow him peace to pick up and sew together the shredded pieces of his life’s garments? Must it extract a Shylock’s pound of flesh? Must it continuously kick a citizen already lying prostrate on the floor on the ass? To achieve what? To please and satiate the bachannalian appetites of which unseen gods, goddesses and deities? How does a government fight and humiliate its own citizens rather than save them? What self-contradiction for the same government mouthing anti-corruption to be praising an Abacha whose looted funds are still being retrieved from bank vaults across the globe over two decades after his death?

Mr Government sir, please, let Hon Justice Onnoghen be. Give him peace. I beg of you. Having not prosecuted him and get him convicted, accord him his full inalienable and fundamental rights.

CLEARED JUSTICE JOHN OKORO INYANG, JSC: SHAME ON THE “NAME-AND-SHAME” PROPONENTS

INTRODUCTION

Do you know that three whole years after the ungodly hours crude invasion of the residence of Justice John Okoro Inyang, with some other Justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Judges of Federal and State High Courts (some now deceased (probably due to the horrific trauma, humiliation and degradation suffered thereby), by gun-toting masked and hooded DSS operatives, he has been secretly cleared of any wrongdoing or misconduct by the same DSS? This revered and fecund uncorrupt and incorruptible Justice of the apex court was unduly “named and shamed” on the 8th of October, 2016, by Nigeria’s secret Service (the equivalent of FBI), which viciously raided his house and those of others, without any concrete, or even scintilla or shred of evidence, of having been involved in any acts of misconduct or criminality. It was simply enough that this “anti-corruption” government of “redemptive messianism” was out to root out corruption. It didn’t matter the ways and means this was achieved. To these historical revisionists, the end simply justified the means. To them, all was fair in war.

HOW NOT TO FIGHT CORRUPTION

To these protagonists, it didn’t matter if corruption was being fought with a bigger form of corruption-discretion of hallowed rule of Law and the fundamental rights of the citizens. Having been quietly cleared of any wrongdoing, how many members of the public today know of this new clearance and clean bill of health given to Justice Okoro? Not many. May be a handful. Yet, he was severely inflicted with mental and psychological trauma and agony, humiliation, denigration, opprobrium and odium, for being innocent. Imagine the trauma of his family, friends and admirers! The DSS is said to have even returned to Justice Okoro, the $38,000 (about N13.68m), forcibly seized from his residence, viet armis, among other items, on November 8, 2019, over three years after their illegal and unconstitutional confiscation of same.

Another Supreme Court Justice, Sylvester Ngwuta, JSC, who was also humiliated in like manner during the so called “sting operations” has since been cleared and discharged by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

NOW THIS

NO CHARGE OR ARRAIGNMENT

It is pertinent to emphasize here that Justice Okoro was never arraigned nor tried for any corrupt practices, let alone being convicted. Indeed, it was said that he was “not confronted with any petition or complaint from any quarters whatsoever by the DSS”, and that “nothing incriminating was found on or against him”.

AND THIS

JUSTICE OKORO’S FINAL VINDICATION

Justice Okoro has thus been completely vindicated in his insistence that he had neither done any wrong, nor misconducted himself in any manner howsoever. What should the DSS do now? Very simple. Rather than handing over Okoro’s money and items back to him clandestinely and nichodemusly, or playing the role of the proverbial ostrich that buries its head in the sand pretending that its ass is not being seen, it should be honourable, humble and bold enough to climb down from it’s high horse and publicly apologize to Justice Okoro. Members of the public who had been fed with the poisonous diet of indecent, lewd, obscene and salacious propaganda and media stigmatization, trial and conviction of Okoro as a corrupt Judge, deserve to be told clearly by the same the DSS, the very truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, about Justice Okoro’s innocence and integrity. Anything short of this will amount to fighting corruption with corruption and impunity, all of which constitutes a bigger form of corruption.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“I want to point out, there are a lot of politicians who enjoy the political end of politics, but they’re not interested in governance. And then, there are some that are really interested in governance and are just terrible at politics.” (Molly Ivins).

LAST LINE

I thank Nigerians for always keeping faith with the Sunday Sermon on the Mount of the Nigerian Project, by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, OFR, FCIArb., Ph.D, LL.D. I enjoin you to look forward to next week’s treatise. Compliment of the Season.