A civil society group, Initiative For Conciliation and Rights Protection, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ‘stay clean from selective justice and release El-Zakzaky’, the detained Islamic Movement’s leader.
The call was made in statement jointly signed by the group’s officials and was exclusively obtained by The Mail Online on Tuesday.
The statement said: “The release of Colonel Sambo Dasuki who has been in detention for about four years, and Omoyele Sowore, who has been detained since August, 2019 by the Nigerian Government is salubrious for democracy.
“The recent decision of the Government to comply with the orders of some municipal and regional courts for the release of the above mentioned personalities is good for the stability of the Nigerian Democracy.
“Every responsible Government will respect the fundamental rights of all citizens and will adhere to the rule of law.
“No country can survive in isolation; all Democratic Governments must not forget the International standards on freedom of religion or belief.
“The primary sources of law underpinning the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief are article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
Again, Sections 38 and 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (2011 as amended) are very clear on aspects of right to freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination.”
According to the statement, “the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria Sheikh Ibraheem El- Zakzaky, and his wife, Hajiya Zeenat Ibraheem who were arrested since December 2015 during a military operation in Zaria, Kaduna State are still in detention and are yet to be freed.
“Government should also comply with this court order, release them and stay clean from selective justice. As the saying that goes, we are all are to be subjected to law not slavished to it and to be ruled by law not ruined by it,” the group reiterated.
