COAS, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai
The case between the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky over alleged human rights abuse, destruction of his property in Zaria as well as the murder of his three children and the Nigerian Army, Chief of Army Staff and three others will be heard on June 30, 2017. This is the decision of the Federal High Court that sat in Kaduna to pronounce its adjournment.
At the case was adjourned at the instance of the defence Counsel’s inability to identify and argue the motion he had filed, alleging abuse of court process in the Zakzaky’s suit .
The counsel to the Nigerian Army and the Chief of Army staff who are the first and the second defendants respectively in the suit filed by El Zakzaky seeking N2Billion as damages over the killing of his three children and destruction of his house, Hussein Oyebanji who stood in for the Lead Defence Counsel, Biola Oyebanji who was not in court. pointedly told the presiding Judge, Justice Saleh Shuaibu that he was not familiar with the case.
Counsel to El-zakzaky, Femi Falana, SAN filed an application for the regularisation of the processes that he had filed out of time.
But when counsel to the Nigerian Army and the Chief of Army staff Staff was invited by the presiding judge to identify and argue the motion of objection earlier filed, Barrister Oyebanji told the judge that he is not conversant with the case.
When asked by the Judge whether he can conduct the case, Oyebanji pleaded for adjournment to allow his principal, the lead counsel appear in court to argue the case personally.
The Judge who granted his appeal adjourned the case to the 30th June to enable the defence identify and argue his motion.
Speaking shortly after the adjournment, El-Zakzaky’s counsel Falana SAN cautioned against footdragging the case.
According to him, “we cannot challenge a violation of human right that occur in a particular state outside that state, because the destruction took place in Kaduna and it shall be determined in the state where the violation of human right took place.”
He said since the government has pledged to operate within the confines of rule of law, the government must uphold order of a competent court, arguing that it is Zakzaky today, it might be another person from government official tomorrow.
His words: “this government has pledged to operate under the rule of law, so for that reason, by the virtue of section 387 of the constitution, all authorities and person are bind by judgement. So, a government that goes to court everyday to ask for justice can not go there to justify disobedience to court order, this is babaric and primitive. So, we are not going to allow that,” he said.
It would be recalled that an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had on 2nd December, 2016 ordered the release of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
