REVEALED: Obasanjo Is The Brain Behind Boko Haram –Femi Falana. Fiery human rights lawyer and activist, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, is not only a consum­mate social justice crusader, but a throb­bing liberator of knotty discourses. He opens a can of worms on the real genesis of the Boko Haram insurgency which the nation is currently grappling with, placing it squarely on the laps of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and those governors who introduced sharia laws in their states and allowed it to spin out of control.

He says Obasanjo’s blunt refusal to halt the strict code of Islamic laws which was ab-initio political, through an overriding constitutional interpretation at the Supreme Court to halt its spread, emboldened nascent groups and indi­viduals in the affected states to seek for a pro­found purification of the application of the laws, ultimately, washing up’ with Boko Haram.

He opens up more on the military which is faced with the responsibility of taming the Frankenstein monster, and is in the process of courting contro­versies on corruption, mutiny, and court martials.

He says the war has so far defied all known prognosis by producing no heroes on both sides.

Falana takes on the brouhaha in Ekiti State with the engaging passion of a son of the soil, declar­ing emphatically that the state has slipped back to ‘Egypt’. “ After the Ekiti State governorship elec­tion on June 20 this year, a newspaper interviewed me, and I did say that by the choice of Ekiti people, they have gone back to Egypt”, he intones.

He roves round to other burning national issues including the controversial $9.3 million arms deal cache in South Africa, why president Jonathan shuns investigation into varnishing defense bud­gets, the Independent National Electoral Commis­sion, INEC, among others. Excerpts:

Let me begin with your state, Ekiti. For the first time in Nigeria’s history, the judiciary came under physical attack. There are also threats of violence, and an assassination. Why is the state boiling at this time, just on the verge of a transition to another government?

After the Ekiti State governorship election on June 20 this year, a newspaper interviewed me, and I did say that by the choice of Ekiti people, they have gone back to Egypt. What has happened in the last few days has unfortunately confirmed that the Ekiti people are fully back in the wilder­ness. They are in the wilderness of shame and embarrassments. Ekiti is being dragged in the mud because of the culture of impunity in our country. This was complicated this time around by the con­nivance of the police. On Monday last week, (Au­gust 22) a gang of thugs invaded theHigh Court premises in Ado-Ekiti; and that is where you have the Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court, as well as a number of magistrate courts. The thugs disrupted the proceedings of the court, and chased out the judge presiding over a case which had to do with the competence of the candidate of the PDP, Mr Ayo Fayose. The court had just given a ruling. Because the counsel to Mr Ayo Fayose challenged the jurisdiction of the court, the court ruled that it had jurisdiction and stood down the matter for two hours for continuation. From the information at my disposal, that was when somebody signaled to the thugs, to invade the court. And they did, by force of arms. At the end of the eviction, the judge was chased out of the court, lawyers were assault­ed, and that particular judge had to be ferried out of the court by the police.

What do you think is the appropriate sanc­tion for this kind of misdemeanor?

Because nobody was sanctioned, or brought to book, on Thursday, of the same week, the thugs re­grouped, invaded the same court premises; a judge who was in his chambers, who had dressed up to sit just discovered that there were some thugs just beside his court. And he came out and recognized the Governor-elect, Mr Ayo Fayose, and pleaded with him to check his supporters, because accord­ing to the judge, they were within the precincts of a court. For that single request, the thugs pounced on the judge, beat him up, and tore his gown.

So, what is the appropriate sanction? Has there been any investigation yet? And what should be done to the culprits, because this is the first time a thing like this is happening in Africa?

Before we go to the culprits ,let us examine the issue, because you have just said now that for the first time in Nigeria, a thing like this is happening. Apart from Uganda, under Idi Amin, this is the first time in Africa, that a judge will be chased out of a court, that a judge will be beaten up in the court premises, that judges will have their records torn, and that the courts will be closed down because of the threat of violence; which is unleashed by thugs. What is required to be done is for the criminal jus­tice system to identify each of the thugs who oper­ated in daylight and ensure that the full wrath of the law is brought on them, otherwise it will be the beginning of anarchy.

Soldiers have been drafted to the state to keep the peace. Do you think that is enough remedy?

I am totally opposed to the militarization of the Civil Society. It is not the business of soldiers to maintain law and order in any country. Soldiers have a duty under the constitution to protect the ter­ritorial integrity of the country. Right now, soldiers are operating in over 30 states in the country; and that is why the Armed Forces are overstretched. What is required, and I did suggest to the Acting Inspector General of police, Mr Suleiman Abba, that having regard to the fact that the Ekiti State  Police Command is compromised, that there will be need for new people brought in entirely with firm instructions to deal decisively with whoever breaks the law, or threatens to break the law. Sol­diers cannot replace the police in the civil society. All the policemen who are complicit in the may­hem that Ekiti State has witnessed in the last one week should be sanctioned.

How about the assassination of one of the supporters of Fayose on the day of the may­hem?

Unfortunately, the former chairman of the NURTW was killed in the dead of the night on Thursday, and unfortunately that led to arson and rioting that took place that day. Again, a city that is well policed, and Ado-Ekiti is not a large city by any standards, should have prevented such unfor­tunate occurrence because there was already ten­sion in the state with what happened on Monday and Thursday in the court premises. One would have expected the police to be up and doing to prevent such a tragic situation as witnessed in the assassination of the former chairman of NURTW.

Do you see or read any political motive in the assassination?

I am a lawyer. I deal with evidence. I don’t en­gage in speculation. I am not in a position to de­termine or guess what would have happened. The following morning, a band of 50 armed young men went to town in the presence of the police. They burnt houses and destroyed order in the pres­ence of the police. Nobody was arrested.

But we learnt that some arrests were made, and about six people have been taken to court?

Which court? When the courts have been closed down? So they couldn’t have been in court. They closed down following the first attack on Monday. I understand that some arrests were made. But the police arranged that they were taken to court and released.

Given the spiraling violence in the state now, and the state of uncertainty it has imposed, what do you suggest should be done? Should there be a state of emergency declared in the state, or should the handover to Fayose be aborted?

I am opposed to a declaration of a state of emer­gency in any part of the country, when there is no basis for it.

But there is violence in the state?

No. It is not every time there is violence that you declare a state of emergency. It is when the en­forcement agencies in a country are unable to con­tain violence that you can talk of declaring a state of emergency, so that extraordinary measures can be adopted by the President. But as far as the police in Ekiti are concerned, they supported violence un­leashed on the state by criminals. Once you isolate, identify them and their police collaborators and bring them to book, law and order will be restored in the state. What I am saying is that no matter whose ox is gored this time around, the law must take its course. That state has witnessed an orgy of violence because of the complicity of the state.

Should the handover be suspended? The governor-elect alleged a judicial ambush.

With profound respect to Mr Ayo Fayose, that statement is an admission of his involvement in the violence. The burden is on him more than anybody to ensure that law and order is restored in Ekiti State, otherwise he won’t be sworn in. The duty is on him.

Who will stop him?

Between 2003 and 2006, while he was in pow­er, many indigenes were in exile. They couldn’t go home. The last straw that broke the camel’s back, which led to his impeachment was the killing of Dr Ayo Daramola, a world bank expert. So, when he was re-elected, I did predict that Ekiti State will witness more violence than before. And this is what we are seeing, which is very unfortunate. I know Governor Fayemi very well. I know the one that is of violent disposition. Fayemi has ruled that state for four years now. He has never been associ­ated with violence. The contrary is the case with Ayo Fayose. Since he is the one who is interested in acquiring power, he has a duty to obey the law, and not resort to violence. As is done in all civilized societies, a suit was instituted before the election. The case could not be heard before the election. But being a pre-election matter, you continue after the election. Even if you lose at the High Court, the Court of Appeal is there, next door to the High Court in Ado-Ekiti. The Supreme Court is there, and that will take the next two to three years, having regards to the way the judicial system is manipulated by winners of election. What is the whole thing about ambushing anybody? How can the court ambush you when you have your lawyer, when you are given the opportunity to file your processes? Apart from the pre-election mat­ter, there is also the election petition case before the Elections Petition Tribunal. To say that you cannot be taken to court, is to invite anarchy by saying let us go to the streets and fight it out. That is alien to the democratic culture. A stone throw from Ekiti State, Osun State, the PDP and its candidate Otunba Iyiola Omisore have gone to the tribunal. They dragged Aregbesola to the tribunal. So, why should heavens collapse in Ekiti because some aggrieved people have gone to court? I don’t un­derstand what Ayo Fayose would gain to besmear Nigeria, when he has an opportunity to go to court.

But going by the constitution, should the swearing-in be suspended?

I am not for suspension of the swearing-in. I am demanding that all those who have unleashed violence on that state should be brought to book. The system does not warrant any intervention outside the provisions of the constitution. What I am demanding is that all those who are part of this nonsense, who desecrated the temple of justice be identified and brought to book, whoever they are. I want law and order to be restored.

Nigeria has been grappling with a lot of violence at the national level especially in the North. It has taken a new vigor in the last few months. Are you satisfied with the way the gov­ernment is prosecuting the war against terror?

Nobody is satisfied with the way and manner the war on terror is being prosecuted. In the first place, the culture of impunity that I alluded to earlier, is also likely to blame for the wave of violence be­ing witnessed across the country – armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes. Under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, the then governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Ahmed Yerima proclaimed Sharia as state religion, con­trary to section 10 of the constitution. Some of us demanded that he be stopped by the Federal Gov­ernment by approaching the Supreme Court. That was ignored. Other governors, for purposes of election equally proclaimed Sharia in most parts of the North. Obasanjo later admitted, it was political Sharia, not religious one. But it has caused many political crises for the country – religio-political crises for the country, innocent people, ignorant people, young men and women, who thought that those governors genuinely wanted Sharia states, were hoodwinked. They even set up extra legal, extra judicial outfits to enforce Sharia. It was in the process that the Boko Haram phenomenon came up. If you go deeper, the actual name of the Boko Haram sect was a group that was out for the purifi­cation of Islam, which has been corrupted by these governors. In Borno State, ex-governor Ali Modu Sheriff recruited these guys to help him win the 2003 governorship election. He won, and appoint­ed one of them, as commissioner for religious af­fairs to prosecute Sharia. Of course, the guy was asked to resign by the Boko Haram sect from the government. This is the genesis of the Boko Ha­ram crisis. President Goodluck Jonathan set up a panel of inquiry in 2011. The panel came out with profound recommendations, including the identifi­cation and trial of the sponsors and founders of the Boko Haram sect. The report was issued in August 2012. Since then, the recommendations have not been implemented. We now have a dangerous situ­ation in our hands whereby the state is tailing the Boko Haram sect, which obviously is more armed with more sophisticated weapons and modern gadgets of warfare. The Nigerian state is simply sending soldiers to commit suicide. The boys who are protesting, are now on trial. Some have been convicted of mutiny.




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Obasanjo could not have stopped the spread of Sharia when Buhari and his posse of sharia loving governors were prepared to kill "Baboons" and infidels if their demands were not meant.

Hmmmmmm!

Story Story!

I just dey tire to dey read all dis tings, walahi!

Raw truth

Mogidi:
Obasanjo could not have stopped the spread of Sharia when Buhari and his posse of sharia loving governors were prepared to kill "Baboons" and infidels if their demands were not meant.

that was when?
I believe you didn't knw wot u're typing!

The only state that push and got the sharia then was Zamfara, and the insurgence didn't even start there!!

Some people are dumber than a person fetching water with a basket!

Did I just hear this man say Ekiti has gone back to Egypt? Has he ever felt or experienced how it feels to be within the four corners of Ekiti. I believe their is no difference btw him and an alien in this matter. The last time I checked, he lost woefully without winning his own local government when he contested as a governor in Ekiti state.

Mogidi:
Obasanjo could not have stopped the spread of Sharia when Buhari and his posse of sharia loving governors were prepared to kill "Baboons" and infidels if their demands were not meant.

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Why should Obasanjo Stop the spread of Sharia ?........-
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.......Is sharia a crime ? .......-
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.. If the people in that region likes the sharia system,,,why must we infringe on their WRIGHT and CHOICE ?.......
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Leave Falana he know what he's saying & i also know what I'm saying !!!
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- -------I know Boko haram has nothing to do with SHARIA...........................& I'm a Christian.

Mogidi:
Obasanjo could not have stopped the spread of Sharia when Buhari and his posse of sharia loving governors were prepared to kill "Baboons" and infidels if their demands were not meant.

Mogidi, you are a big smelly He-goat!!! Why drag Buhari into this? Don't u have any common sense left in u?

@OP. This thread is misleading! Stop spreading useless propaganda just so u can make frontpage.