Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Human Rights, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said the release of a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) and #RevolutionNow Convener Omoyele Sowore from detention proved President Muhammadu Buhari as an apostle of the rule of law. The senator, representing Ekiti Central, said the release of the two men reinforced President Buhari’s ardent belief in the Judiciary as the fulcrum of democracy and last hope of the common man.
Dasuki was detained in 2016 for his role in the alleged missing $2.1 billion funds for procuring arms under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The senator hailed the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), for acting promptly and gaving the most apt advice that was in tandem with the outcries of Nigerians and international communities on the detention of both men.
“It is trite that the rule of law is the bedrock of any democracy. It is the fulcrum on which democracy hangs and survives. No nation can joke with it.
“The All Progressives Congress (APC) was circumspect about this fact and had been aligning itself with this reality, in actions and policies,” he said.
“The fact that President Buhari, through the instrumentality of the AGF, acted swiftly to correct the embarrassment caused by overzealous DSS operatives, who invaded a sitting court to arrest Sowore, vividly confirmed that the APC believes in the rule of law and the sanctity of the temple of justice.
“We are particularly elated by the Federal Government’s gesture because it will go a long way in further establishing the fact that Nigeria is not a pariah state. When leaders venerate the Judiciary, it deepens democracy and tames tendencies for anarchical actions that could truncate the system.
“It was in line with that tenet to strengthen the Judiciary and the rule of law that the Federal Government, through the Office of the AGF, took over Sowore’s case from DSS and some other corruption cases from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“I appeal to all the agencies of government vested with prosecutorial powers to always bury their emotions and exercise caution while dealing with issues, to protect the integrity of the Buhari-led government, whose respect for the Judiciary has serially been demonstrated and amplified,” he said.