[ads-post]
The Court on 5th August, 2019 granted Sheikh Ibraheem
EL-Zakzaky leave to travel to India for medical treatment. Consequently, the Government and its relevant
agencies took steps to comply with the Order.
In line with the Court Order, El-Zakzaky was approved to
embark on the trip with State officials and his choice to be accompanied by his
aides and personal Doctors was not opposed by the government.
On 12th August, 2019, he and other members of the entourage
went to India via Dubai. It is to be noted that El-Zakzaky particularly chose
Medanta Hospital, India. However, on reaching Dubai, El-Zakzaky began to
display ulterior motives against laid down procedures.
He requested that his passport be handed over to him but the
State officials would not budge to his pressure. The situation became worse in
India as he refused to subject himself to preliminary medical checks.
In addition, he demanded free movement and access to
visitors of all kinds as well as requested to be allowed to check into a 5-Star
Hotel instead of being admitted in the hospital. The request was refused on the
ground that he came into the country for medicals and not as a tourist (more so
that his Visa was issued on medical grounds and not for tourism). He also
demanded that Police protection be withdrawn from him by the Indian
authorities.
Against medical ethics and standard practice, he requested
to nominate Doctors of his choice to join the ones tasked by Medanta Hospital
to perform medical treatment on him and his wife. This created a stalemate,
which the Hospital insisted that he would not dictate to it on the choice of
medical personnel to carry the required medical treatment.
Frustrated by his antics, the Indian authorities have
expressed willingness to return him to Nigeria with immediate effect. This is
on the account that they will not allow him use their country to
internationalize his group’s activities.
Against this background, the Nigerian government wishes to
commend the stand of the Indian Government as well as apologize to her for the
unruly behaviour of El-Zakzaky. Similarly, the attention of the public and
indeed the international community is hereby drawn to these unfortunate
developments.
The government also wishes to use this opportunity to affirm
its readiness to undertake the prosecution of El-Zakzaky through due process if
and when he is returned to the country. On this note, his foul cry that he is
being held in circumstances worse than he was in Nigeria should be disregarded.
0 Comments