THE JUDICIARY IS ON TRIAL IN NIGERIA
Chima Onyekachi
For Family Writers
I was not born during the first tyrannical era of Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state but I recently listened to the music of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti titled “Beast of No Nation” and I understood that Buhari is a born dictator. Fela Kuti in his song described Buhari as an “Animal in crase man skin”. Fela also made me know that Buhari called Nigerians “useless, senseless and indisciplined”, so it is no longer a surprise to me that this recent time he described Nigerians as criminals. My favorite part of the song is “many leaders as you see them, na different disguise them dey o, A nimal in human skin, Animal e put e tie o, Animal e wear agbada, Animal e put e suit o.” Fela got imprisoned on a spurious charge of smuggling currency during the military stint of Buhari, so I am also at risk of been imprisoned for speaking the truth but I take solace in the song –Beast of No Nation, which was sung in the 80’s and was all about Muhammadu Buhari.
Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria was elected as President in 2015 after the deception to voters by his party, APC, and his public declaration of been a repentant democrat. He was advertised smiling and wearing different ethnic cultural attires, he also wore a suit and bow tie. All in an effort to disguise him as a democrat but time has proven everyone wrong, as Buhari has continually trampled on the law by using the judiciary and state security agencies as his personal tool to battle perceived political opposition, just as he did in 1983 after taking power in a military coup d’etat.
After various courts of competent jurisdiction granted bail to the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Director of Radio Biafra/Biafra Television, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. President Muhammadu Buhari, hurriedly organized his maiden media chat where he lambasted the Judges and threatened that Nnamdi Kanu will not be released. His reasons were Nnamdi Kanu had dual citizenship of British and Nigeria passports and sophisticated electronic gadgets for radio transmission was brought into Nigeria by him. A false charge of treasonable felony was slammed on him and Judge John Tsoho was chosen as the hatchet man. John Tsoho reneged on his first ruling of disallowing masked witness in the case after been pressured by the state secret service (DSS). When has been a dual citizen and possessing radio transmission gadget becomes a crime? Why should a person be accused of treason openly and you want him tried secretly?
Femi Fani-Kayode who has been vocal in criticizing the tyranny of Buhari’s government was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and after fulfilling his bail conditions as ruled by the court, he is still been incarcerated by the government. Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state who is supposed to enjoy immunity under section 308 of the 1999 constitution, had his personal bank account frozen simply because he has been speaking fearlessly and boldly against the dictatorial rule of the government. Fayose has raised alarm on the participation of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, in the Harliburton scam during the Obasanjo administration but the EFCC have decided not to investigate. To buttress his point, Fayose has dared the president’s wife to visit the United States of America to prove her innocence, but she recently canceled her scheduled trip to the United States of America for the World First Ladies Conference holding at Colorado and opted to perform the lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, a legal practitioner, after threat to his life and members of his family has discontinued the case he filed in court to disqualify Muhammadu Buhari for lack of certificate. Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe had alleged that Buhari was not qualified to aspire for the office of the President because he did not sit for the Cambridge West Afican School Certificate in 1961 as he claimed. After the court upheld he had a good case and that the president should provide his certificate, his life has been under constant threat and he has been forced to file a notice at the Federal High Court in Abuja to discontinue the suit in court.
Barrister Emeka Ugwuonye was arrested and detained without charge, he has worked tirelessly and in many cases secured the acquittal of many peaceful protesting Biafrans that were arrested and charged for treason.
It is terrible that these acts of tyranny are happening when the likes of Chief Gani Fawehinmi is no more alive to speak out. Shame on Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana and other so called human right activists and civil society advocates who have kept silent while the constitutions and laws is been raped by the beast in the presidential villa. The Judiciary in Nigeria is under trial because persons who are fearless, credible, truthful and with genuine conscious are been silenced. Judges are been paid, some threatened and blackmailed to carry out directives given by Muhammadu Buhari through the EFCC and DSS. What comes after the unfair trial of the judiciary shall be anarchy and let everyone be prepared for the worst.
Chima Onyekachi
For Family Writers
I was not born during the first tyrannical era of Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state but I recently listened to the music of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti titled “Beast of No Nation” and I understood that Buhari is a born dictator. Fela Kuti in his song described Buhari as an “Animal in crase man skin”. Fela also made me know that Buhari called Nigerians “useless, senseless and indisciplined”, so it is no longer a surprise to me that this recent time he described Nigerians as criminals. My favorite part of the song is “many leaders as you see them, na different disguise them dey o, A nimal in human skin, Animal e put e tie o, Animal e wear agbada, Animal e put e suit o.” Fela got imprisoned on a spurious charge of smuggling currency during the military stint of Buhari, so I am also at risk of been imprisoned for speaking the truth but I take solace in the song –Beast of No Nation, which was sung in the 80’s and was all about Muhammadu Buhari.
Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria was elected as President in 2015 after the deception to voters by his party, APC, and his public declaration of been a repentant democrat. He was advertised smiling and wearing different ethnic cultural attires, he also wore a suit and bow tie. All in an effort to disguise him as a democrat but time has proven everyone wrong, as Buhari has continually trampled on the law by using the judiciary and state security agencies as his personal tool to battle perceived political opposition, just as he did in 1983 after taking power in a military coup d’etat.
After various courts of competent jurisdiction granted bail to the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Director of Radio Biafra/Biafra Television, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. President Muhammadu Buhari, hurriedly organized his maiden media chat where he lambasted the Judges and threatened that Nnamdi Kanu will not be released. His reasons were Nnamdi Kanu had dual citizenship of British and Nigeria passports and sophisticated electronic gadgets for radio transmission was brought into Nigeria by him. A false charge of treasonable felony was slammed on him and Judge John Tsoho was chosen as the hatchet man. John Tsoho reneged on his first ruling of disallowing masked witness in the case after been pressured by the state secret service (DSS). When has been a dual citizen and possessing radio transmission gadget becomes a crime? Why should a person be accused of treason openly and you want him tried secretly?
Femi Fani-Kayode who has been vocal in criticizing the tyranny of Buhari’s government was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and after fulfilling his bail conditions as ruled by the court, he is still been incarcerated by the government. Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state who is supposed to enjoy immunity under section 308 of the 1999 constitution, had his personal bank account frozen simply because he has been speaking fearlessly and boldly against the dictatorial rule of the government. Fayose has raised alarm on the participation of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, in the Harliburton scam during the Obasanjo administration but the EFCC have decided not to investigate. To buttress his point, Fayose has dared the president’s wife to visit the United States of America to prove her innocence, but she recently canceled her scheduled trip to the United States of America for the World First Ladies Conference holding at Colorado and opted to perform the lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, a legal practitioner, after threat to his life and members of his family has discontinued the case he filed in court to disqualify Muhammadu Buhari for lack of certificate. Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe had alleged that Buhari was not qualified to aspire for the office of the President because he did not sit for the Cambridge West Afican School Certificate in 1961 as he claimed. After the court upheld he had a good case and that the president should provide his certificate, his life has been under constant threat and he has been forced to file a notice at the Federal High Court in Abuja to discontinue the suit in court.
Barrister Emeka Ugwuonye was arrested and detained without charge, he has worked tirelessly and in many cases secured the acquittal of many peaceful protesting Biafrans that were arrested and charged for treason.
It is terrible that these acts of tyranny are happening when the likes of Chief Gani Fawehinmi is no more alive to speak out. Shame on Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana and other so called human right activists and civil society advocates who have kept silent while the constitutions and laws is been raped by the beast in the presidential villa. The Judiciary in Nigeria is under trial because persons who are fearless, credible, truthful and with genuine conscious are been silenced. Judges are been paid, some threatened and blackmailed to carry out directives given by Muhammadu Buhari through the EFCC and DSS. What comes after the unfair trial of the judiciary shall be anarchy and let everyone be prepared for the worst.
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