Shiites Crisis: Why Buhari Did Not Obey Court’s Order To Release El-Zakzakky

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, says the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government refused to obey Justice Gabriel Kolawole’s order on the release of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem el-Zakzakky, because it appealed the ruling.

Adesina said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.

The President’s spokesman said the Attorney-General of the Federation at the time, Abubakar Malami (SAN), may have had his reasons for doing so since the government had the right to appeal the bail. He said:

“I know that the immediate past AGF in whose purview it was to make pronouncements on that, address the issue. If bail is granted and another case subsists and there is an immediate filing of appeal, you have to wait till it is dispensed with. So, that is a legal matter which is outside my purview but as a layman, an unlearned man as lawyers would call us, we know that until all cases are dispensed with, you don’t say that it has been concluded.”

Adesina said the matter had since been taken before a court in Kaduna State and the bail hearing would come up next Monday.

He, therefore, called on the Shiites to wait for the court to make its ruling.

Recall that the Shiites had dismissed claims that it’s members provoked the police through undue confrontation before the Abuja shootings began on Monday, which claimed the lives of six people including the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Usman Umar and a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving with Channels Television, Precious Owolabi.

Responding to allegations that the police ought not to have fired live bullets into the protesters on Monday, the President’s spokesman said the police deserve to be commended, adding that the death toll would have been much higher if the police did not show some restraint. Adesina said:

“I tell you despite what happened yesterday, if the police had responded with greater force, you know we would not be talking about what we are talking now.

“A deputy commissioner of police was killed. Yes, very sad, that is one life just like any other life. He did not deserve to die in service to the country but if the police had responded in similar fashion, you would have been talking of rivers of blood in Abuja now.

“I still believe there was some restraint yesterday despite what happened and personally I still commend the police for showing that restraint.”