26th December, 2019
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leader and General Secretary, Textile Union, Kaduna, Comrade Issa Aremu, on Wednesday hailed the release of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) and Convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore.
However, Aremu said the released detainees must prove their innocence of the charges against them.
Aremu, who is equally a member National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru Jos, in a statement made available to newsmen, said the release of Dasuki and Sowore implied that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had resumed duty as the chief law officer of the federation.
He said while burden was on all the state security agencies to allow unfettered judicial process, the released detainees must prove their innocence of the charges against them.
“It is remarkable that the Department of State Services has finally complied with the court orders directing it to release some detainees, the notable being the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore and the immediate-past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
“With this singular move it should be assumed that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), has resumed duties as the chief law officer of the Federation.
“Better late than never. Nigeria has achieved much in quantitative terms, with hundreds of elections, thousands of elected officials at Executive and legislative branches. But there is still huge deficit of democratic culture. It is time to have quality control of Nigeria’s democratic process”, Aremu said.
He further stated that authoritarianism had manifested itself in Nigeria through long years of military rule marked by absence of debate, patience, accountability, intimidation, disregard of civil rights, and non-chalance about due process, and the rule of law.
“We must therefore encourage a new democratic culture that allows for unfettered abiding faith in democratic process. The burden is on all the state security agencies to allow unfettered judicial process while the released detainees must prove their innocence of the charges against them”, he submitted.