Frankly Speaking 2023: The all comers..'Taja Teran' affairs

Abba Kyari/Hushpuppi gate: Ethnicisation of justice in Nigeria

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By Tunde Abatan

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It is an incontestable fact that one of the biggest drawbacks of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is playing ethnic and religious cards when it is suitable for its goals without considering other view points in a diverse country like Nigeria.

Abba Kyari

Both in pronouncement, appointments and location of projects, President Buhari left no one in doubt about the focus of his six year old regime-Northern domination at the expense of national cohesion and unity.

Hence,when last week,a group of 31 lawyers from the 19 Northern states came out to declare their support for suspended Police corp,Abba Kyari, who is fingered as a prime suspect in the series of deals by Abass Ramon aka Hushpuppi, it didn’t come as a surprise.

The lawyers from the Northern part of the country announced their intention to offer free legal services to suspended ‘super corp’ Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, head of Intelligence Response Team in his travails over his alleged connivance with and alleged criminality in using his position to shield popular fraudster, Abbas, aka Hushpuppi over the laters allegations, by America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, investigation into fraudulent activities of the former.

Abass had mentioned the police officer’s role to FBI in his confession to international fraud ring in the United States, which runs into millions of dollars.
The pledge of the 31 northern lawyers according to Sunusi Salisu, their spokesperson who said they were drawn from the 19 Northern states across all religions and tribes,volunteered to render free expert legal services “for the preservation of Kyaris fundamental rights that might be potentially jeorpardised by his alleged indictment by a court in the United states.

Though the group of lawyers did not say whether they will travel to the United States to defend Kyari if he is eventually extradited, the tone of their message points to steps to prevent the federal government to release the ‘super cop’ from facing trial in whatever form.
Besides,it precludes that the lawyers have already concluded even before the subject is tried that his innocense is apparent.

Ironically, this latest attempt by the group of 31 lawyers from the North ( who have obviously bought into President Buhari’s ethnic card), draws a semblance in form and intent from the activities of some Northern lawyers during the preparations towards Nigerian Bar Associations, NBA conference last year.
Due to what this group refered to as “alleged peddling on sectional interest by parent body of NBA in it’s modus operandi, resolved to form Northern Bar Association.
Their goal according to their leaders, Barrister Nuhu Ibrahim and Abdulbasit Suleiman then is, “with the aim of protecting their interest as encapsulated under section 40 of the constitution.
They alleged then that recent events then in the NBA,”was leaving much to be desired within the ranks of concerned lawyers especially from the Northern parts of Nigeria”.

They also accused the then NBA leadership of inability to manage and contain the heterogenity of its members as well as their various interests.

It is instructive at this point to say that ,that was the first time the issue of North -South dichotomy is being gradually introduced into the oldest profession in Nigeria.
It will be recalled that since the first lawyer of Nigerian extraction, Christopher Alexander Sapara Williams (1855-1915) was called to the English Bar on November 1879 and the NBA formed 54 years later in 1933, such ethnic colouration and division, has never been introduced into the120,000 strong NBA with 125 active branches in 36 states of Nigeria.
But in spite of the fractionalization in 2020, the majority of NBA lawyers who attended the annual conference still went ahead to elect the first non SAN, Mr Tayo Akpata, as it’s President.
Today, a year after it’s foundation, nothing much has been heard of the Northern NBA.
It is quite apparent that professional bodies are now being sponsored and used by those in government and position of power pursuing ethnic interest in order to perpetuate their ruling of Nigeria, to cause dissension and give justice different meaning under different guise.
As a government that chooses which law to obey, are the 31 Northern lawyers saying the unknown position of the federal government or encouraging it to brazenly flout established international law in extraditing perceived criminal elements to where such offences are committed simply because they come from a part of the country regarded as being above the law?

It is also curious that the 31 lawyers did not raise an eye -brow when the same law they are striving to protect was violated when Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader was brazenly abducted from Kenya by the federal government without following due process.

During the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo, it will be recalled, that a serving Inspector General of Police,Tafa Balogun was brought to trial for corrupt practices without any of the socio cultural group like Afenifere or Yoruba Council of Elders,YCE raising any eyebrow as to the propriety of trying their son for an offence committed.
Before the decision of the Northern lawyers some groups in the North have also came out asking the federal government to disobey laws by refusing to extradite the police cop who obviously has more explanation to make for compromising his sacred position to amass wealth and terrorise citizens.
You ask, how many Yoruba or southerner has come out to campaign against trial of Hushpuppi and Special adviser to Ogun State governor, Abidemi Rufai who is being detained in the United States for fraud related offences ?

It would appear that ethnic champions from the North who always raise eye- brow when issues of justice is discussed are always in support of the ruling government whenever such application of the law is against their parochial sectional interests.

If a group is seen as openly encouraging a government already guilty of ethnic bias in it’s governance attitude to citizens,then it behoves that discussing the issue of Nigeria’s continued corporate existence is long overdue since different areas of the country has different interpretations to law. They obviously prefer applying universal rules only to issues that supports their agenda and ultimate goal of dominating other parts of the country.
What is good for the goose is also good for the gander.
Promoting selective justice and entrenching injustice in a diverse nation like Nigeria is akin to cementing its disintegration.
We should not be surprised to hear that the recent ruling of Federal High court in Port Harcourt which ruled on favour of approving collection of VAT and other sundry taxes only by state government and not the federal government.
It won’t also be a surprise if the ruling is being vigorously challenged by the same ethnic group from the North determined to pursuing double standard in its interpretation of law and application of rules of governance.
The declaration last week by the Special assistance to justice minister,Abubakar Malami that the federal government is considering outlawing the Ilana Odua,a group calling for self- determination is another point of selective justice.
Nigerians have lost count of different threats issued by Miyeti Allah- a purely trade organisation which has President Buhari as it’s Patron, to defy ban on open grazing by elected governments in the southern parts of the country without any security agency of government inviting their leaders for questioning.
In the middle belt state of Benue, Miyetti Allah and it’s variants in Fulani herdsmen,terrorists have been maiming and killing with state support and connivance,yet they have not been accepted as terrorists or outlawed.
Terrorists masquerading as bandits have been kidnapping for ransome, raping,maiming and killing with gusto all over the country with none of them apprehended or brought to book yet they are described as business men.whatbis more ‘repentant’ Boko Haram terrorists are being pardoned and enlisted into the Nigerian Army after having killed hundreds of thousands of innocent souls without compensation to the victims!
A government that sees terrorists in all forms as it’s brothers and content with settling them with state funds but frowns at separatists and self determination groups is as guilty of internal terrorism and domination as the colonialists who reigned and ruled Africa centuries ago.
Foreign and local Fulani herdsmen, bandits from West African countries of same tribe with the leaders of federal government, shooting down military planes, aircrafts are treated as precious citizens instead of terrorists they really are.
This are all in the surreptitious attempt by those in power to use outsiders from other countries to dominate others in the country for future occupation and subjugation.
This speaks volume of double standard in the effort to maintain a secured country as deemed by the ruling government.
Till date,it is on record that the federal government is yet to arraign any member of Miyetti Allah or other terrorists group in the court of law for undermining the nations security for questioning, yet it has detained several members of civil and self- determination groups or examine the reasons for their actions contrary to the provision of freedom of fundamental human rights guaranteed by the UN charter to which Nigeria is a sIgnatory.
All over the world, Justice is considered as the first condition of humanity,the absence of which is escalation of chaos and instability in all forms and shape on a scale never known or contemplated since attainment of independence in 1960.
Since nature itself abhors vacuum,the present state- sponsored injustice on all forms in Nigeria backed by its twin instrument of ethnicity and religious extremism can only endure for a while before the burble burst on a scale which will definitely be a child’s play to events in the Mongolian countries.
Since President Buharis government neither has nor believes in sense of history,it will definitely live to relive it.

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