The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has backed the federal government’s continued detention of the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore, and former National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Sambo Dasuki despite various court orders demanding their immediate release.
Malami this on Thursday morning in a programme ‘Good Morning Nigeria’ aired by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and monitored by politicsnigeria.
Malami argued that government has the right to detain Sowore and Dasuki until an appeal against the orders is determined by the Supreme Court.
“Perhaps I need to clear the air on how the rule of law operates within the context of the Nigerian constitution. We have multiple and a plethora of judicial decisions that establish a fact that when you are challenging a court order through a judicial process, the idea of disobedience to that court order does not arise.
“The misapprehension that set into the system and deliberately put in the public space is the fact that once there is a court order, you must unconditionally comply. You can only be adjudged being in disobedience of a court order when you don’t take advantage of the constitutional powers, rights accorded to you by appealing against the order and perhaps seeking for a stay of execution of the order or perhaps you don’t take any steps seeking variation of the court order.”
The Malami said orders the FG is not comfortable with will be challenged in court.
“Until that matter that your right of challenge is determined up to the supreme court level, the idea of you being charged with disobedience of court order does not arise,” he added.
