A Lagos based human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has frowned at the arrest of Salisu Tanko-Yakassai, who was arrested hours after saying that President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress have failed Nigerians.
Yakasai, a former Special Adviser on Media to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, had in response to the abduction of 317 schoolgirls in Zamfara State on Friday, said that the APC at all levels of government had failed Nigerians.
He was arrested a few hours after making that statement by the Department of State Services and has remained in custody.
But the human rights lawyer, who is the Interim Chairman, Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, in a statement on Sunday titled ‘Asking Buhari to Resign is Not An Offence’ said:
“It is on record that the APC and its leaders including General Buhari; National Leader, Bola Tinubu; Malam Nasir El-rufai and Alhaji Lai Mohammed repeatedly called for former President Goodluck Jonathan’s resignation between 2013 and 2014 yet they were never subjected to any form of intimidation for exercising their freedom of expression at the material time.
“Since the call for President Buhari’s resignation is likely to continue to be made by other concerned individuals and groups over the virtual collapse of the security architecture of the neo-colonial state it is pertinent to draw the attention of the State Security Service to the case of Arthur Nwankwo v the State 1985 6 NCLR 228 where the Court of Appeal charged the Nigerian people to engage in relentless criticism of democratically elected governments.
“In particular, Olajide Olatawura JCA (as he then was of blessed memory) had this to say: The decision of the founding fathers of the present constitution which guarantees freedom of speech which must include freedom to criticise should be praised and any attempt to derogate from it except as provided by the constitution must be resisted.”
He, therefore, called for the urgent and unconditional release of Yakassai from illegal custody.
He, however, noted that if the DSS had evidence linking Yakassai to any criminal offence known to law, that he should be transferred to the police for proper probe and possible prosecution without any delay.