Nigerian Judiciary, Buhari's puppet

 

By Onumajuru Onyekachi MacSantos (Abia Writers)

Edited and published by Joseph Afokwalam

I wonder why the world will celebrate and welcome a pronounced dictator, killer of democracy and religious bigot like President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari has never accepted democracy for once in his approach to leadership. His actions and misguided media utterances have proved it.

The issue of the leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, defines President Buhari as an anti-democracy and anti-rule of law despot. The civilized world is yet to read between the lines or demand what is obtainable in developed countries. Buhari has been a president proud of disrespecting the constitution and human rights with impunity in his presidency. After watching him showcase his despotic tendencies in press interviews, international human rights organizations, international criminal court, American and European countries, etc., applaud him.

In 2015 and 2016 court granted Mazi Nnamdi Kanu bail; Buhari used DSS to frustrate the bail in the name of the so-called investigation. In December 2015, Buhari told African Independent Television, "I will not release that boy called Kanu". He asked the journalist if he knew what Kanu committed? On Buhari's orders, the DSS refused to obey the order of presiding magistrate Shuaibu Usman to bring Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to court.

When the same court granted Ibrahim El Zakzaky bail in 2017, the DSS, under the president, refused to release El Zakzacky. The case of former PDP spokesman Olisah Metu is not exceptional. Buhari DSS brutally manhandled him after the court ordered them to release him on bail, yet DSS ignored the court order. He maintained the same stand of disobeying the law on the case of Sambo Dasuki, National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Also, in 2017, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was preparing to attend his court hearing slated for October 17, Buhari ordered the military to invade Mazi Nnamdi Kanu's home on September 14, one month to his court date. Twenty-eight people were killed on the spot, many kidnapped and taken to Unknown destinations. Outside Mazi Nnamdi Kanu's home town, hundreds were killed in different destinations in Abia, Imo and Rivers states. Even Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was seriously injured. The invasion also led to the death of his parents, whose aged hearts couldn't bear what they saw that day.

The latest interview Buhari granted to channels television raises concern on IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu's release, considering what happened in 2015 when Buhari made such an unguarded statement. In his speech, he said, "we will not release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, because I will not interfere Judiciary. Nnamdi Kanu was abusing the country from Europe, that is why we brought him back". The statement shows that NIGERIA violated the international law of repatriation. Buhari admitted that he committed extraordinary rendition by his words during the interview.

Under the regime of Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Judicial system has never known peace. It has been exposed to unhealthy and unfriendly maltreatment from the presidency. If any judge fails to concur with Buhari's order, he is dismissed, suspended, or framed up and arrested unlawfully. All the Judges who granted bail to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Ibrahim El Zakzaky and Col. Sambo Dasuki fell afoul of this Buhari regime. They paid with dents on their Judicial careers. Some were suspended, while others were arrested and detained like common criminals. The Nigerian judiciary is on gunpoint of Buhari because most good Judges have tasted the wrath of Buhari one way or the other. Any court case against the government must go according to Buhari's wish and command. Nigerian judiciary is vulnerable and helpless.

In Nigeria today, the judiciary is no longer the last hope for the common man. Judges are afraid to pass judgment against this Buhari led Fulani APC government. President Buhari's Channel TV interview has proven that the Judicial system can't release IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu because the god of NIGERIA has said so. The world jettisons justice and human rights abuse campaign in Nigeria. The Nigerian and Kenyan governments' extraordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is supposed to attract penalties and sanctions from the world bodies. Instead, the British government is busy decorating well-known tyrants like Kenyan Uhuru Kenyatta and Nigerian Mohammed Buhari with awards. 

The world should know and understand that ongoing global conspiracy and criminal silence will surely come back to hurt them in the future. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a prisoner of conscience who needs maximum all-around attention from world bodies. It is well known that the Buhari regime is a threat to justice and human right. Silence on extraordinary rendition exposes the weakness of the United Nations, European Union, international criminal court, etc. They should act accordingly because many have been secretly killed because the names mentioned above failed to do their job to protect the life of Africans and prisoners of conscience like Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In Biafra, we stand.