The human rights lawyer Femi Falana described the minister as arrogant, despite being a lawyer himself to have called a report of judicial panel "fake news".
Human
rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), has slammed the Minister of Information,
Lai Mohammed, for describing the report of the panel constituted by the Lagos
State Government to investigate the Lekki massacre of protesters last year
October as fake news.
Femi
Falana slammed the minister for overruling President Muhammadu Buhari’s pledge
to the United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, that his government
would work on recommendations of the reports of the federating states.
Falana
said these in a statement titled, 'Federal Government Is Not Competent To
Reject The Report Of Okuwobi Judicial Commission Of Inquiry.'
A copy of
the statement was obtained by SaharaReporters on Wednesday.
It partly
reads, "On November 18, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari held a meeting in
Abuja with Mr. Anthony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State. During
the meeting, President Buhari said that the state governments in the country
would have to take steps on the reports of their panels before the federal
government acts on the recommendations.
"In
particular, the President said, 'We at the federal have to wait for the steps
taken by the states, and we have to allow the system to work. We can’t impose
ideas on them. The federal government has to wait for the reaction of the
states.'
"But
in an utter display of executive rascality, Mr. Lai Mohammed, the Minister of
Information, has overruled the President by rejecting the report of the Lagos
panel on behalf of the Federal Government.
"By
not waiting 'for the reaction of the states', the minister has overruled the
president of the republic. As if that was not enough, the minister decided to
insult the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu, by rejecting the
report of the judicial commission instituted by him under the Tribunal of
Enquiry Law of Lagos State.
"Thus,
the governor, who is currently studying the report, has been presented with a
fait accompli by the minister. As far as Mr. Mohammed is concerned, the
governor must toe his line."
Falana
added, "Mr. Mohammed has described the 309-page report of a judicial
tribunal as "fake news". As a lawyer of many years' standing, the
minister ought to have known that it is the height of arrogant contempt to
describe the report of a Judicial Commission of Enquiry constituted under the
Tribunal of Enquiry Law as "fake".
"It
is regrettable to note that the minister has failed to realize that the Lagos
State Government is not an extension of the Federal Government but a sovereign
entity in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Since the name
of the Federal Government is not clothed with any power under the Tribunal of
Enquiry Law, the purported rejection of the report by the Minister ought to be
treated with disdain by the Lagos State Government.
"In a
press conference held on October 20, 2021, Mr. Mohammed had recalled that the
National Economic Council had directed state governors to immediately forward
copies of final reports of the panels to their attorneys-general for prompt
arraignment and prosecution of all indicted persons. Where incidents in the
reports relate to matters of discipline, in addition to prosecution, NEC urged
the Nigeria Police Force to take disciplinary action on the affected officers
in line with the provisions of the Police Act 2020.' Has Mr. Mohammed overruled
the collective decision of the National Economic Council?
"However,
it is pertinent to point out that Mr. Mohammed's comment on the report lacks
originality as it is a mere regurgitation of the jaundiced views of a couple of
aggrieved individuals.
"The
two individuals, have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to discredit the findings
and recommendations of the body. In a desperate attempt to mislead the
governor, both aggrieved persons have been campaigning for the total rejection
of the report because of the so-called discrepancies and inconsistencies
contained in the document.
"No
doubt, these individuals are entitled to express their opinions on the report
of the commission. But the call for the rejection of the report is illegal in
every material.
"In
December 2015, the Nigerian Army massacred hundreds of Shiites in Zaria and
hurriedly buried their bodies in a mass grave at Mango in Kaduna State on the
orders of the then Chief of Army Staff.
"Even
though Mr. Mohammed said that the report of the genocidal attack was a hoax,
the Justice Garba Judicial Commission of Enquiry instituted by the Kaduna State
Government confirmed a casualty figure of 348 Shiites. Six years thereafter,
the authorities have ignored the recommendation of the Judicial Commission that
the culprits be prosecuted.
"The
Lagos Judicial Commission of Enquiry accepted the evidence of forensic experts
to the effect that 99 dead bodies were dumped in the various mortuaries in
Lagos State during the protests. Mr. Mohammed has described the massacre as
"fake news".
"Finally,
Mr. Mohammed's callous comment on the cold murder of unarmed citizens at the
Lekki Toll Gate is a sad reminder of his own experience under the same forces
of brutalization.
"On
August 8, 2014, Mr. Mohammed, the then Publicity Secretary of the APC had left
Lagos for Osogbo, Osun State in support of Governor Rauf Aregbesola's
re-election bid. Later that night it was reported that he had been kidnapped by
a team of hooded operatives of the State Security Service.
"I
was aroused from my sleep by Governor Aregbesola who requested me to assist in
searching for Mr. Mohammed. However, a couple of hours later, I was relieved
when it was reported that he had regained his freedom.
"But
the PDP dismissed the kidnap story as a hoax emanating from the fecund
imagination of Mr. Mohammed. Having completely crossed to the other side of the
political divide, Mr. Mohammed conveniently regards news of the tragic massacre
of unarmed citizens as fake.
"Mr.
Mohamned’s steps undermine the rule of law and social justice in the land.
President Buhari should caution him."
No comments:
Post a Comment