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Shiites, Falana petition Osinbajo on release of El-Zakzaky, wife

By Saxone Akhaine, Northern Bureau Chief
27 February 2017   |   3:05 am
Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Shiites, have written a petition to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, demanding the immediate release of the leader of the group...

The leader of Islamic Movement of Nigeria otherwise known as Shi”te, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky

Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Shiites, have written a petition to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, demanding the immediate release of the leader of the group, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife following the directives of the Federal High Court, Abuja ordering their freedom from detention.

Besides, lawyer to Sheikh El-Zakzaky, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), in the petition to Osinbajo through the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, said the Federal Government had continued to violate the fundamental freedom of the couple by failing to comply with court orders.

He said: “In a considered judgment delivered on December 2, 2016, the Federal High Court (per Kolawole J.) declared the continued detention of Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, Hajia Zeenat Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, as illegal and unconstitutional. The court ordered their immediate release from the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) within 45 days.”

He also stated that although the deadline expired on January 16, 2017 the SSS has refused to release his clients from custody in utter contempt of the valid and subsisting order of the Federal High Court. He added that the Federal Government has equally refused to comply with the other terms of the judgment.

Falana added: “In justifying the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Kalgo J.C.A. (as he then was) held that the refusal of the application will not cause any injury to the applicant, but if the application is granted, the respondents will continue to suffer personally in detention after the court has declared their detention unlawful ab initio.”

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