from Africa in Transition , Africa Program , and Nigeria on the Brink
Buhari's Dictatorial Past and the Rule of Law Today in Nigeria

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari stands next to Chief of Army Staff Tukur Yusuf Buratai during the opening ceremony of the military staff annual conference, on November 28, 2018, during his trip to visit troops fighting Boko Haram. Audu Ali Marte/AFP/Getty Images
Blog Post by John Campbell

December 18, 2019


In the immediate aftermath of the State Security Service’s invasion of an Abuja court room and its re-arrest of Nigerian journalist Omoyele Sowore, the Lagos daily newspaper the Punch announced that it will prefix President Muhammadu Buhari’s name with his military rank, Major General, and will refer to his administration as a “regime,” until “they purge themselves of their insufferable contempt for the rule of law.” In its announcement, Punch draws parallels between Buhari’s government and his “ham-fisted military junta in 1984/85,” when he was military chief of state. For Punch the “regime’s actions and assaults on the courts, disobedience of court orders and arbitrary detention of citizens reflect the true character of the martial culture.” The Punch announcement also attacks the military and the police because they “fail to understand that peaceful agitation and the right to associate are fundamental rights.”

In addition to Sowore, Punch refers specifically to the detention of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, and his wife, and of former National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki, all in violation of various court orders. It also refers to various governors that have sought to curtail media freedom and the right to demonstrate. Punch claims to be the largest circulation daily in Nigeria. In addition to the daily, it publishes Saturday Punch, Sunday Punch, Punch Sports Extra, and digital platforms, of which the best known is Punchng.com.

During the period of military rule, Punch was known for its democratic and human rights activism. The military closed it three times and imprisoned its editor and deputy editor. It remains to be seen how the Buhari government will respond. The newspaper is based in Lagos, and it and its readership has long been critical of northern Nigerian governance. Its criticism of Buhari is not surprising, but it is worth noting that Zakzaky and Dasuki are both northern Muslims. What is different this time is the parallelism between military rule and Buhari’s civilian administration. Buhari’s supporters are likely to find the Punch stance infuriating. Nigeria’s foreign friends will be hoping that the government takes no move to limit Punch’s freedom of expression. The SSS assault on a court room and the re-arrest of Sowore has already damaged the country’s international reputation.

Blog Post by Guest Blogger for John Campbell

November 1, 2019


Ademola Bello is a Nigerian journalist and playwright. He received his master’s from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

On September 24, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In it, he assured the world that his government believes in freedom, tolerance and the rule of law. He said, “The rule of law remains the permanent, the unchanging foundation of the world order.”

But on the same day that President Buhari spoke, his government ignored a court ruling ordering the release on bail of Mr. Omoyele Sowore, the founder of Sahara Reporters, a New York-based online news website that has reportedly extensively on government corruption in Nigeria. In fact, several Nigerian journalists and activists are unlawfully held in detention by the Nigerian government for reporting on widespread corruption and human rights violations.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who initially ruled that Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) could detain Mr. Sowore for forty-five days, granted him bail on the condition that he surrender his passport. Mr. Sowore did so on September 25, but DSS did not release him, arguing that, among other things, he was not entitled to bail.

On October 4, a second judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, presented new bail conditions that were much more stringent, including a demand to find two private landowners in Abuja who controlled land worth roughly $500,000 and who would stand for him as guarantors to meet his bail conditions. The judge also banned him from speaking with the press, not to participate in any rally, and not to leave Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. He has not yet met these new conditions.

Sowore was detained on August 3 by the DSS. He had called for a peaceful protest, tagged “Revolution Now,” to demand, among other things, that the Nigerian government end wholesale corruption, fight poverty, and provide universal education. He was charged with treasonable felony and insulting and harassing the Nigerian president based on comments made in a press interview.

Usually based in New York, his trip to Nigeria was his first since revealing Nigeria’s Central Bank lost 500 billion naira (about $1.4 billion) in a failed private investment scheme. Sahara Reporters obtained and published audio recordings made by a whistleblower at the Central Bank of Nigeria. The recordings included Godwin Emefiele, the bank's governor, and other officials discussing how to cover up the loss.

The detention of Sowore comes as press freedoms and free speech continue to be curtailed by President Buhari. The nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists has documented widespread harassment of journalists in the country, including unlawful detention and assaults.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees "freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” It is time for the UN and UNESCO to speak up about the Nigerian government’s unlawful imprisonment of journalists and activists like Omoyele Sowore.

Court orders must be obeyed

Bekindtoall:
Court orders must be obeyed

and any criminal who is calling for Revolution against any government or any group of terrorists people must be dealt with according to the fullness of the law .

yarimo:
and any criminal who is calling for Revolution against any government or any group of terrorists people must be dealt with according to the fullness of the law .

It is part of fundamental human right to enjoy life, liberty and choice. It includes the prerogative to overthrow a repressive regime that denies people the first three. This right is accepted as first law of principles for order in humanity. Whether Nigeria recognizes it or not, it is bound by it nonetheless.

Buhari is repressive. Therefore the right to remove him rests with people.

When citizens rise up to demand that he should make corrections and respect their rights, they are not violating any law....they are just exercising a principle of order ordained to them by creator.

So you will first have to give statutes that conflicts with the first principle.

Assuming you respond in self preservation and arrest and lock people up. In a democracy, the Executive is separate from Judiciary. Judiciary gives him bail and set date for trial. Executive dismisses the democratic rule of oversight and kept him in detention in contempt of court.

The he was in court in an ongoing trial, Executive stampeded court with weapon and seized him again.

The Executive continues to demonstrate lawlessness.

This govt has lost its respect.

I am beginning to believe that Fulanis have deficiencies in civilized leadership. They can only lead where force and terror is included. Without terror they lack a solid template for developing policies and leading strategically to pull everyone along. Maybe we should completely boycott Fulani ethnics in future elections if we desire to have leaders with civilized visions of leadership...

Post the constitutional section that gives you right of revolution against government or to be a terrorist .

MetaPhysical:


It is part of fundamental human right to enjoy life, liberty and choice. It includes the prerogative to overthrow a repressive regime that denies people the first three. This right is accepted as first law of principles for order in humanity. Whether Nigeria recognizes it or not, it is bound by it nonetheless.

Buhari is repressive. Therefore the right to remove him rests with people.

When citizens rise up to demand that he should make corrections and respect their rights, they are not violating any law....they are just exercising a principle of order ordained to them by creator.

So you will first have to give statutes that conflicts with the first principle.

Assuming you respond in self preservation and arrest and lock people up. In a democracy, the Executive is separate from Judiciary. Judiciary gives him bail and set date for trial. Executive dismisses the democratic rule of oversight and kept him in detention in contempt of court.

The he was in court in an ongoing trial, Executive stampeded court with weapon and seized him again.

The Executive continues to demonstrate lawlessness.

This govt has lost its respect.

I am beginning to believe that Fulanis have deficiencies in civilized leadership. They can only lead where force and terror is included. Without terror they lack a solid template for developing policies and leading strategically to pull everyone along. Maybe we should completely boycott Fulani ethnics in future elections if we desire to have leaders with civilized visions of leadership...

yarimo:
Post the constitutional section that gives you right of revolution against government or to be a terrorist .

Revolution is a buzz word!

Revolution is derived from revolt. Why are citizens revolting against Buhari?

What is he doing that is making people rise up against him everywhere?

Ipob
Zakzaky
Sowore

Why were there no uprising against Obj, Yaradua, Jonathan....why Buhari?

So attend to the issue first before addressing the law.

If you must address the law, it still remains fact that Executive abused fundanmental rights, in addition to disrupting order in court.

Stop fooling yourself around if you cannot back up your claim with a constitutional section.

MetaPhysical:


Revolution is a buzz word!

Revolution is derived from revolt. Why are citizens revolting against Buhari?

What is he doing that is making people rise up against him everywhere?

Ipob
Zakzaky
Sowore

Why were there no uprising against Obj, Yaradua, Jonathan....why Buhari?

So attend to the issue first before addressing the law.

If you must address the law, it still remains fact that Executive abused fundanmental rights, in addition to disrupting order in court.

yarimo:
Stop fooling yourself around if you cannot back up your claim with a constitutional section.

Government has responsibility to operate in accordance with law and uphold standards of democratic order in society.

Citizens will naturally violate laws. We do not build prison for govt, its built for lawless citizens.

When a citizen is lawless govt have duty to apply law.

The govt we expect to apply law is the drum major in leading others to lawlessness and break down of order in society.

Defend this action by the corrupt and incompetent fulani man and atop asking for Constitutional law.

If a citizens violates law lock him in synch with the statute. Dont lock people up and then take them to trial only to storm the trial and disrupt the proceedings.

What kind of nonsense is that?
Animal instincts cannot be tolerated.

We will get this countey restructured by force or by consent so you animals can have your own lifestyle of lawlessness up there. Dont forget to add Shariah to your Constitution after everyone have their region to manage.


What an inept defense of rubbish!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCpua4dvUXs


Animal wan dash us Human Rights.
Na our property, you cant take it away!

Stop posting long trash that has no any meaningful contribution to the society, just simple post a section of the Nigeria constitution that gives you right of revolution against government or to be a terrorist.

MetaPhysical:


Government has responsibility to operate in accordance with law and uphold standards of democratic order in society.

Citizens will naturally violate laws. We do not build prison for govt, its built for lawless citizens.

When a citizen is lawless govt have duty to apply law.

The govt we expect to apply law is the drum major in leading others to lawlessness and break down of order in society.

Defend this action by the corrupt and incompetent fulani man and atop asking for Constitutional law.

If a citizens violates law lock him in synch with the statute. Dont lock people up and then take them to trial only to storm the trial and disrupt the proceedings.

What kind of nonsense is that?
Animal instincts cannot be tolerated.

We will get this countey restructured by force or by consent so you animals can have your own lifestyle of lawlessness up there. Dont forget to add Shariah to your Constitution after everyone have their region to manage.


What an inept defense of rubbish!

Cowards praise Buhari in the morning and attack him in the afternoon

Dont be like cowards

yarimo:
Stop posting long trash that has no any meaningful contribution to the society, just simple post a section of the Nigeria constitution that gives you right of revolution against government or to be a terrorist.

You are backward.

Go and read Chapter IV, 39 (1) to (3). Particularly pay attention to emphasis on freedom of expression and to assemble and share information without interference.

You have been put on notice....we will restructure this country whether you like or not. We will put a non-sympathetic Yoruba, known for his stance against North, we will put an Ibo pro Biafra and we will put a MiddleBeltan yearning to separate from North.....and return you to your simplistic way of life in your arid land.

People of the coast and of the savannah are tirwd of being infected with your backwardness. You have ruined Nigeria....but you will not ruin us. We will cut you off beforw it gets to that point.

You are not making sense at all, so chapter IV, (1) to (3) gives you right of revolution against government or to be a terrorist?

MetaPhysical:


You are backward.

Go and read Chapter IV, 39 (1) to (3). Particularly pay attention to emphasis on freedom of expression and to assemble and share information without interference.

You have been put on notice....we will restructure this country whether you like or not. We will put a non-sympathetic Yoruba, known for his stance against North, we will put an Ibo pro Biafra and we will put a MiddleBeltan yearning to separate from North.....and return you to your simplistic way of life in your arid land.

People of the coast and of the savannah are tirwd of being infected with your backwardness. You have ruined Nigeria....but you will not ruin us. We will cut you off beforw it gets to that point.

yarimo:
and any criminal who is calling for Revolution against any government or any group of terrorists people must be dealt with according to the fullness of the law .

That's why I believe Jonathan is weak. Buhari called for a revolution once and nothing happened.

yarimo:
Stop posting long trash that has no any meaningful contribution to the society, just simple post a section of the Nigeria constitution that gives you right of revolution against government or to be a terrorist.

You get time oo


Hahahahahaha

The abuse of human rights, rule of law and democratic process under the regime of this despot is simply unprecedented.

well i am coming back to read it all

yarimo:
You are not making sense at all, so chapter IV, (1) to (3) gives you right of revolution against government or to be a terrorist?

Tell us what gives govt right to disrupt court proceedings and stop sounding like a vinyl record stuck in loop.

Gandollaar:
That's why I believe Jonathan is weak. Buhari called for a revolution once and nothing happened.

Buhari can still go to prison after his two terms.

MetaPhysical:


Buhari can still go to prison after his two terms.

Of course. Reason he's starting to thread softly.