Democratic system of government vests supreme power in citizens. The people choose directly representatives to exercise that power. In return the people expect both the government officials and government to be responsive, responsible, and accountable.
The peoples’ representatives are charged with upholding the constitution and conducting the business of government for the benefit of all. The Attorney-General is the chief law enforcement officer of the nation. He assists the president to fulfill his obligation to faithfully execute the laws of the land. He advises the the president and give opinions when requested. He is the attorney of the government. He is an officer of the court and subject to the court’s direction in litigation.
The prejudice and bias displayed by Abubakar Malami in the prolonged illegal detention of Omoyele Sowore, the human rights and pro-democracy activist, has really exposed Malami as half-baked Attorney-General of a banana republic. Nigeria as a banana republic is a republic of kleptocracy where the ruling class devote their time in office to maximize their own gains, while the poor fights over crumbs and scraps. The thieves rob the poor to further enrich themselves. There is no accountability for the thieves.
Malami joined the forces of General Muhamadu Buhari, his aides and allies to delay, deny, and obstruct justice in defiance of the law that granted Sowore bail. He tried woefully to distance himself from a burgeoning conspiracy concocted by General Buhari and his agents - the State Security Service to hold Sowore in SSS dungeon for so long. In an empty exercise by Malami “to wash his hands off” the case and obscure his own wrongdoing in Sowore’s case, he resorted to conflicting hallucinating statements.
On one hand, Malami said he cannot order the SSS to release Sowore. On the other hand, he said “In line with the provisions of sections 150 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and in compliance with the bail granted Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd)... and to Omoyele Sowore, I have directed the State Security Services to comply with the order granting bail to the defendants and effect their release.”
Malami sounded as if he was engaged to avoid a perjury charge based on his previous attempts to deceive Nigerian people.
Malami is a disgrace to the bar, a disgrace to the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria. He is a perfect example of a shambling propagandist seeking to create confusion and crisis. Instead of defending the rule of law in the overall interest of Nigerians, he acted as Buhari’s personal lawyer. For abdicating his duty by ensuring fair and impartial administration of justice for all Nigerians, he has effectively vacated his position. Malami has no sense of duty to the Republic of Nigeria.
He has violated his oath of office to support and defend the constitution of Nigeria and bear true faith and allegiance to the same. Malami has abused his power by abandoning the duties of his office as attorney general in order to serve as defense attorney for a lawless presidency. He has proved to the world that he is not the person to ensure that justice is served. In a civilized nation with civilized democracy, Malami has no place in the department of justice.
It was the intervention of the United States that resulted in the release of Sowore. Left to General Buhari and his half-baked attorney general, Sowore will languish in detention till the end of General Buhari’s evil regime. In his press conference, the US Senator from New Jersey home of the Sowores, Senator Bob Menendez made it unequivocally clear that the immediate release of Sowore is non-negotiable. “New Jersey is watching. The United States is watching. The world is watching,” warned Senator Menendez. “We are here to call upon the government of Nigeria to immediately release Mr. Sowore.”
We are grateful to Senators Bob Menendez, Cory Booker, (NJ) Andrew Coons (DE) and other US Congress men and women, council men and women, and residents of Haworth New Jersey, for their unrelenting pressure on General Buhari to free Sowore.
One down, one more to go. Let the substantive trial begin in earnest. Nigerians will be watching. The world will be watching... Let’s go there!