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Falana makes U-turn, asks Buhari to release Dasuki

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Dasuki

Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has made a u-turn from his hard line stand on the anti-corruption crusade of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

He has asked the government to release the detained former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki.

It however took the placement of an arms embargo on Nigeria by the United States of America, USA, for Falana to lend his voice to the release of Dasuki.

The US had last week banned the sales of arms to Nigeria over alleged Violations of Human rights under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Aside Dasuki, other detainees in the custody of the Federal Government include the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and Waripomowei Dudafa, who though granted bail over two months ago, is still in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Falana, in a statement on Sunday, called on President Buhari to stop the various security agencies from further violating human rights in the course of carrying out their duties.

According to him, this has become necessary becuase of the ban by the US.

Falana has been one of the most vociferous supporter of the fight against corruption by the Buhari administration and has been expressing unpopular opinion in his defence of the war on corruption.

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His support for the Buhari administration has also severally made him clash with other senior lawyers in the country while also openly criticizing the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, over issues.

In his statement, Falana said the violation of the rights of the people has to stop and all political detainees released, specifically Dasuki.

Falana, who said the release of Dasuki would allow his trial to go on smoothly, advised government to obey the ruling of the ECOWAS Court that ordered Dasuki’s release from custody.

He however noted that the order of the ECOWAS Court did not exonorate him of the charges against him.

Falana said, “With respect to the substantive relief, the ECOWAS Court held that the detention of Col. Dasuki without a court order could not be justified under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

“Consequently, the court ordered the release of the applicant and the payment of N15m damages to him as reparation for the infringement of his rights.

“In reporting the judgment of the ECOWAS Court, the media conveyed the impression that that the Federal Government has been ordered to release the plaintiff unconditionally from further detention.

“Contrary to such misleading impression, the ECOWAS Court has not discharged and acquitted Col. Dasuki in respect to the criminal charges pending against him in the Nigerian courts. All that the court said was that the suspect be allowed to enjoy his human right to liberty within the context of the bail granted him by the trial courts.”

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews….

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