Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has said that “The order banning 50 alleged high-profile corrupt Nigerians from travelling abroad without any legal basis and a judicial authorisation is clearly arbitrary, repressive and illegal, as it breaches constitutional rights and the country’s international obligations, which protect the rights to freedom of movement, to leave one’s country, to privacy, and to due process of law.”

The organization said: “A travel ban by its nature is an interference with the right to leave one’s country. It is neither necessary nor proportionate to prevent dissipation of stolen assets or stop politically exposed persons (PEPs) from tampering with any such assets. The ban should be immediately lifted and the order rescinded.” Presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu yesterday announced the placement of 50 high-profile Nigerians on travel ban, citing the measure as part of the implementation of Presidential Executive Order Number 6. The unnamed individuals will be banned from travelling outside the country pending the determination of their corruption cases in order to ensure that all assets within a minimum value of N50 million or equivalent, are not dissipated or tampered with. But SERAP in a statement today signed by its deputy director Timothy Adewale said: “Rather than performing its declared objective of preventing dissipation of stolen assets, the travel ban would seriously undermine the government’s expressed commitment to combat grand corruption and violate the country’s international human rights obligations. The travel ban will play right into the hands of high-profile corrupt officials by feeding into the narrative that the fight against corruption is targeted only at political opponents.” The statement read in part: “The travel ban and mass surveillance will distract the authorities from taking legitimate action to recover stolen assets, effectively punish high-ranking corrupt officials and portray the government as unwilling to embrace the rule of law in its fight against corruption, thereby making it difficult to obtain the necessary support and cooperation of countries keeping stolen assets.” “The travel ban will also strain the government’s relationships with partner countries, on whom it will inevitably rely for vital asset recovery cooperation, undermining the effort to bring them closer. By alienating these partners, the government could lose access to important information and mutual legal assistance necessary to effectively recover stolen assets and bring corrupt officials to justice.” “Judicial affirmation of the legality of the Executive Order 6 doesn’t grant the government arbitrary powers to impose travel ban on anyone without following due process of law. Rather than imposing a travel ban, the authorities should take advantage of the provisions of the UN Convention against Corruption to seek mutual legal assistance with countries where investigations and litigation are ongoing by requesting them to apply preventive measures regarding assets covered by the travel ban.” “The authorities should also widely publish the names of the 50 Nigerians suspected to be involved, and submit those names to the countries/embassies of countries where the stolen assets are stashed. The authorities should issue a risk alert on alleged corrupt assets that are likely to be dissipated or tampered with by the high-profile Nigerians, seeking the cooperation of countries keeping the assets, and reminding them of their international obligations to prevent these Nigerians from tampering with stolen assets that are subject of ongoing investigations and litigation.” “We are concerned with the threats grand corruption and money laundering posed to the effective enjoyment of human rights of Nigerians, and agree with the authorities that grand corruption and impunity of perpetrators must be vigorously combated. But we believe that the fight against corruption will only succeed if it is based on due process of law and respect for human rights.” “If the objective the government seeks to achieve is to ensure stolen assets are not dissipated or that politically exposed persons do not interfere with ongoing investigation and prosecution of corruption cases, the appropriate legal response is for the authorities to pursue orders of temporary forfeiture and mutual legal assistance, and not a travel ban that would achieve nothing but violate citizens’ human rights.” “Nigeria is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which in article 12 guarantees the right of everyone to leave any country, including their own. The government cannot impose restrictions on this right unless any such restrictions are provided by law, are necessary to protect public order, or the rights of others. The travel restrictions on the alleged 50 corrupt Nigerians clearly do not meet these conditions.” “All restrictions on the right to leave must be narrowly interpreted. In General Comment No. 27, the Human Rights Committee stated that any restrictions must not impair the essence of the right and that the relationship of the norm to the exception must not be reversed.” “The travel ban cannot achieve the objective of depriving the 50 Nigerians suspected of corruption of their ill-gotten gains. It is absolutely important that the government is guided by the provisions of Article 31 of the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party, and which authorises states parties to take preliminary measures to seize, freeze or otherwise immobilise property for the purposes of confiscation/pending investigation and litigation.” “It is always important that the definition and interpretation of the law should be as certain as possible, and this is of particular importance in cases of corruption where citizens’ human rights may be at stake. We do not consider that such reasonable certainty can exist where the executive assumes patently judicial functions.” “The right to leave one’s country includes a positive duty on states such as Nigeria to issue documents – as well as a passive one – to refrain from placing obstacles in the way of an individual seeking to leave.”

https://www.akelicious.net/2018/10/travel-ban-on-50-high-profile-nigerians.html

This is Africa's finest case of Autocratic-Democracy.

High profile critics can not travel out with their own money, but Yusuf Buhari can on taxpayer's sweat.

The definition of irony is actually when the world's most travelled President deprives other people from their right to movement.

I want to rule,
I want to rule
Now you have been allowed to rule and everyone is in ruins.
Never again.

A leopard never ditches his spots and the stripes of the zebra can not be wiped clean.
A dullard will be a dullard and a dictator will always be a dictator.

BackToDaura loading.
Sai Atiku/Obi

With that Said;
Please say NO to vote splitting.
Don't vote for any other party outside APC or PDP in the Presidential election or it will be a vote lost to Buhari because the battle is obviously between these two.

Sowore, Durotoye and Moghalu are either egoistic bastards or outright saboteurs if they won't unite with Atiku to defeat Nigeria's biggest problem.

Wow so what will serap do when PMB's order is backed by the Judiciary

If you check the list you could see that that there APC members like Senator Danjuma Goje, Orji Uzo Kalu etc but the opposition will rather tell you that PMB'S anti corruption fight is targeted at the Opposition.

serap kor syrup ni

Illiterate Ban

Ok

What's baba's business with rule of law, he can ban all he wants, there won't be a prosecution at the end, just propaganda.

Noise making administration
All mouth no trouser

How about the situation below:

"So because i dined with opposition members, an alleged enemy could have my house sized and myself placed on travel ban untill am found innocent of a simple innocent dinner with opposition..."

This is tyrannic and would be used to silence any voice of opposition.

Hmmmmm

Buhari should also ban himself from traveling. He has embarrassed Nigerians abroad more than any other Nigerian president

What is illegal is that they are not in jail already and not just a travel ban.

These guys must be on syrup, yet they'll be shouting make nigeria great again

I

Like say the Dictator care about what you think.

Lifeless Tyrant wants to rule by decree through the back door since realising that he cannot operate under democratic principles and processes.

He has been in panic mode, hence the daily blunders he has been committing since the PDP convention.

Buhari is still stuck in the 80s, reasons why we must send him out of power so that Nigeria can make progress.

Military regime

So SERAP existed since.
Some people will be reacting as if they were not in Nigeria before 2015

Hmmmm


The tendencies have started to manifest. In a short while, if care is not taken, it'll be full blown dictatorship.

Ignore the hand writing on the wall and see the inevitable.

Argue with your keyboard.

he's desperate. twerp

Very repressive, Buhari wants to take us back to 1984 at all costs

A

the ignorant lifeless mallam do not know anything

Tell him....Atikulate or remain lifeless

ok

APC is making the job of PDP easier with there incessant behavior..

This country gan. Me am not understanding again

The practice of issuing Decree by the lifeless is still very much alive even after so many years.

God, We need to send this man back to Daura.
AtikulatedObi#

I thought they were man enough. They should have added Atiku and obasanjo, danjuma and Saraki.
You're only digging your graves more..

Kalu is an APC man and his name is there, please all these groups should go and find Garri to soak

https://www.nairaland.com/4786800/atiku-vs-buhari-online-polls/1
Buhari VS ATIKU popularity test


see who is winning!


butterflyleo e pain am!!! e pain saarki !

...but it is legal for them to loot Nigeria!