Hundreds of protesters on Monday stormed the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja to protest the court judgement which ordered the unconditional release of Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.
The protesters, who marched under the banner of the Coalition on Good Governance and Change Initiative and other Civil Society Groups, expressed concern over the judgement by Justice Gabriel Kolawole.
They said it was done “without recourse to the consequences that this dangerous precedence would have on law enforcement, security, anti-terror fight, terrorism, extremism and secessionist movements in Nigeria”.
Addressing the protest, the National President of the CGGCI, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, said:
“The judiciary has dealt a fresh blow to the future of Nigeria by legalizing terrorism, while leaving the rest of us at risk of losing our lives.”
Ogenyi described the judgement as ridiculous, wondering how Justice Kolawole could order the release of someone who poses grave security risk to the society through his extreme brand of foreign backed radicalization programme in the name of religion.
He said: “Nigerians are ever ready to do the needful in safeguarding the future of our dear nation and hence would demand that Justice Kolawole be investigated by the National Judicial Council.
“In the space of one week, the judiciary has ordered dangerous fanatics and demagogues to be returned to the streets to resume brainwashing, radicalizing and militarizing vulnerable youths in the population.
“This could have only been in keeping with fulfilling obligations entered into for less than honourable considerations even as we cannot rule out a judiciary that is taking its pound of flesh from an executive arm that has exposed the sleaze on its soiled bench.
“If the entire judiciary has activated its vendetta against the security agencies that they see as the executive arm, the precedence set by Justice Gabriel Kolawole took things to the ridiculous by awarding N50 million of tax payers’ money to finance IMN’s radicalisation programme, while also asking that the police further deploy its personnel to protect a man whose sect members would invariably kill like they had killed soldiers and policemen in recent past.
“This judge also failed to realize the weight of his utterance that has basically ordered the government to build a new headquarters for a proscribed group – we do hope he will keep himself on the bench for when other terror groups approach to demand for the government to build them headquarters.
“The house demolished in Gyellesu in Zaria, Kaduna State, on which the directive to build a new one for this demagogue, originally belonged to Alhaji Ismail Gwarzo, the Director General of the National Security Organization under late General Sani Abacha.
“El-Zakyzaky was given the seized house by General Abdulsalam Abubakar because people of Babban Dodo had at time also rebelled against IMN occupation, which made them to burn his initial hub after he was released from another arrest for insurrection.
“Justice Kolawole has murdered sleep.
“He did this confidently because security agencies under obligation use taxpayers’ money to protect him and other judges, who therefore do not know the magnitude of the threat that terrorism poses to citizens.”