[ads-post]
The Presidency appeals to El-Zakzaky-led Shiite members to
desist from needless violent street protests and await the decision of the
court in Kaduna where their leader is currently being tried.
The issue of El-ZakZaky is before the court in Kaduna and
his supporters should focus on his on-going trial instead of causing daily
damages, disruptions and public nuisance in Abuja.
It is wrong to be in court and resort to violence at the
same time in order to get justice for anybody accused.
The destruction of public property in the name of protest is
not within the right of this group of Shiite members and no government anywhere
would have tolerated a situation where any group would take over public roads
in cities as they have done in Abuja and interfere with the rights of other
citizens who are prevented from reaching their destinations.
We imagine a situation where families are taking their loved
ones to hospital for emergency treatment and they are held up needlessly by the
protesters. No government anywhere in the world would turn a blind eye to this
unlawful behavior.
As far as this country’s Ministry of Justice is concerned,
the case involving El-Zakzaky is no longer in its domain. The Federal
Government no more has hands in the matter and to that extent, the government
at the centre can be said to be clear of any alleged violations of court orders
as being trumpeted everyday.
These rallies and street dances ostensibly to openly insult
the President and other leaders, threatening bloodshed will lead nowhere
because President Buhari will not ask the country’s judiciary to abandon due
process and set a suspect free. At the same time, the administration is
determined to enforce the decision of the court clearly issued. The Buhari
administration has absolutely no hand in the on-going court case and the courts
are free to determine the bail request and the final outcome.
The mentality that you are above the law and that your own
rights are superior to other people's rights is unacceptable.
You can't be provoking other citizens by interfering with
their own rights on public roads and disrupting their businesses and call it
democratic freedom. In democratic traditions, their rights end where the rights
of others begin.
Law abiding citizens must avoid deliberate lawlessness. It
is not within the rights of any group to enter protected public institutions
such as the National Assembly by force to attack police and destroy public and
private property.
It is always advisable to embrace dialogue and eschew
violence in all our actions so that we can continue to live together in peace.
We therefore appeal to the Shiite group to stop deliberate
provocations that result in violence and fatalities and allow the trial of
El-ZakZaky to take its course.
0 Comments