Malami enters national black book – says HURIWA

A leading pro – democracy and civil rights body – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has listed the outgoing Federal Attorney General and minister of justice as the worst ever justice minister since Nigeria’s independence in 1960 just as it stated that by so doing the minister has earned his place in the national black book of anti-democratic forces in Africa.

HURIWA blamed much of the breakdown of law and order to the promotion of impunity at the highest levels by the Presidency going by the poor quality of legal briefs the President receives from his chief law officer.

Other persons listed in the national black book of anti-democratic forces are the chairman of the independent National Electoral Commissioner Yakubu Mohmood for conducting the most corrupt and manipulated elections in the world in the year 2019. The immediate past Inspector General of police Ibrahim Kpodum is also listed alongside the immediate past Director General of the Department of state services Lawal Daura who was sacked for attempting to overthrow constituted authority of the National Assembly.

In a media statement endorsed jointly by the national coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs, Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA blamed the destabilization of the independence of the judiciary which culminated in the illegal removal through a rigged process of the immediate past Chief justice Walter Onnoghen through a flawed and choreographed trial by the ethically challenged code of conduct Tribunal chairman, the detentions against clearly issued binding court orders for the release of immediate past national security adviser to the president Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd); leader of Islamic movement of Nigeria Shelk Ibraheem El Zackzacky/wife and the failure for two years to reconstitute the governing board of National Human Rights Commission, show that the holder of the high office of the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami is not a fit and proper person to hold such a high office of the Chief law officer of the nation in line with the relevant sections of the constitution.

Specifically, Section 174 states thus:
1) The Attorney-General of the Federation shall have power

a) To institute and undertake criminal proceedings against any person before any court of law in Nigeria, other than a court-martial, in respect of any offence created by or under any Act of the National Assembly;

b) To take over and continue any such criminal proceedings that may have been instituted by any other authority or person; and

c) To discontinue at any stage before judgment is delivered any such criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by him or any other authority or person.

2) The powers conferred upon the Attorney-General of the Federation under subsection (1) of this section may be exercised by him in person or through officers of his department.

3) In exercising his powers under this section, the Attorney-General OF THE Federation shall have regard to the public interest, the interest of justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process."

HURIWA stated that if president Muhammadu Buhari who only became civilian president after over 35 years in the military institution has been guided by a core professional lawyer who is tested and trusted, then much of the constitutional crises we have faced in the last four years would have been prevented.

HURIWA stated that the fact that Malami was in charge when a kangaroo procedure was activated that resulted in the decapitation of the independence of the judiciary through the removal illegally of the substantive chief justice of Nigeria to make way for a compliant head of the judiciary, is a muddy process that will remain the lowest point of our democracy.

On the INEC chairman, HURIWA said he is in the infamous national black book of anti-democracy because he supervised the worst and most violent election in which the ruling party adopted crooked means to railroad itself into office.

The Rights group lamented that the immediate past DG of DSS allegedly staged a coup against the National Assembly but due to impunity and lawlessness the current federal government is protecting him from facing the full weight of the law. The failure to reconstitute the governing board of the National Human Rights commission demonstrates the poor appreciation by President Muhammadu Buhari's administration of the strategic place of human rights promotion and protection in the running of constitutional democracy.