The Boko Haram linked APC Senator from Borno, Ali Ndume who is out on bail currently as his investigation for assisting Boko Haram deliver messages and threats to Nigerian authorities in collaboration with former Attorney General Adoke and former Vice President, Namadi Sambo is on indefinite hold, has pulled his weight behind the extrajudicial activities of the current administration.
The question to ask is if Ndume would with his clear links to Boko Haram would have wished to be extrajudicially killed or detained without bail he still enjoys, when he was arrested. Accused Senator Ndume is today the Majority House Leader.
The report:
Kanu Dasuki: AGF, Senator Ndume, Others Defend Buhari
by Nkem Ikeke
Abubakar Malami, the attorney general of the federation, and the minister of justice, Senator Ali Ndume and other eminent Nigerians have described as laughable allegations by some critics that President Muhammadu Buhari is a tyrant.
The AGF, Ndume, Chief Ebenezar Babatope and retired police commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav rose to the defence of Buhari arguing he was not dictatorial but only being serious minded and being a promoter of the public interest, Vanguard reports.
They were reacting to criticisms against Buhari over his insistence that the federal government would not release the former national security adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd), and the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, despite several court directives to that effect.
The Nigerian Bar Association had on Monday, January 4, criticised Buhari for disobeying court orders which directed that Dasuki and Kanu be released.
According to Malami, those accusing Buhari of being a dictator were oblivious of the national interest, which the president was protecting.
He added that what was at stake was a conflict between public and private interest, insisting that there was no way any right-thinking leader would allow individual interest to override the national interest.
The minister of justice noted that national interests were always given top priority over individual interests in all democracies around the world, adding that Dasuki and Kanu had committed very serious crimes against the nation and its people and should not be made to appear as victims of any state victimisation.
“Are we now saying that the collective national interest should give way for the individual interest of a few people who are working hard to cause more havoc?” he queried.
Malami said there was no basis whatsoever to label Buhari as a tyrant because he was only trying to end the unfortunate regime of impunity.
For his part, Ndume said that in the past, Nigeria had a “very funny, unserious and weak president” but now the country has Buhari who is very serious.
“If you accuse him of being a serious President, I will agree with you, but not as a dictator who does not respect rule of law,” he said.
Also speaking, Babatope said Buhari has been fair enough to allow the opposition have a say at any given time.
Tsav said that the president has allowed the courts and other institutions of the state to do their jobs without interference.
“Therefore, I don’t think the perception of him having dictatorial tendencies holds water. People don’t know that sometimes some suspects are jailed in their own interest Mr. President is not a dictator,” he said.
Datti, a close associate of Buhari said the president has not violated any law through the non-release of Dasuki and Kanu.
Kanu, who is facing a six-count charge including treason, has been in detention since October 14, 2015, when he was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service. Though he has been granted bail by the court, the federal government has refused to obey the court order.
On the other hand, Dasuki, who is facing multiple charges before three different courts, was re-arrested last week at the gate of Kuje Prison, Abuja, shortly after he honoured all his bail conditions.
Buhari had during his first presidential media chat given reasons why both Dasuki and Kanu could not be released from detention.
Some senior Nigerian lawyers had disagreed with President Buhari. Some of those who had faulted the president were Mahmud Magaji, constitutional lawyer, Festus Ogwuche and others.
