The Federal House of Representatives through the Chairman, Media and Public Affairs Committee, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has reacted to the recent release of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife.
It should be recalled that a High Court sitting in Kaduna State, had on Monday, August 5th, granted a leave to El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, on the condition to go to India for medical treatment.
ABACITYBLOG also recalled that Mr El-Zakzaky has been in detention since December 2015, he was, in April 2018, charged with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly.
Reacting to El-Zakzaky’s medical leave, Hon. Kalu, Official Spokesman of the House of Reps, commended the DSS for confirming the House confidence in their willingness to respect the independence of the various arms of government especially the judiciary.
He said; “You will agree with us that the independence of the judiciary is critical to the success of our democracy. We consider this an indication that the rule of law is prioritised and respected by this government.
“The court ruling was made to ensure the good health of the accused person. It does not stop the judicial arm from tidying up the process of his trial upon his return. Recall, it was not an application for bail that was granted. The matter is still before a court of competent jurisdiction. It will be contemptuous, for us to speak in details on such sub judicial matter.
“Functional democracy is better achieved in a healthy atmosphere of independence yet close partnership among the arms of Government. This was one of the proposals of the 9th House of Representative’s Joint Task of Nation Building – promoting understanding between the arms of government for the interest of the citizens.
“This is a new dawn in our history of democracy, we are determined to work with all the arms of Government to take the narratives to the Next Level and With the support of the people, the effort of the present government to sustain the rule of law will be achieved
