The Minister for Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed was a guest at Channels TV and the moderator sought his opinion on sensitive state of the nation matters.
He said: “I think there is a lot of deliberate misunderstanding on these issues. Number one, if a judgment is given and that judgment is appealed, you cannot accuse the government of violating that order if the appeal has not been decided.”
When asked about why the federal government wont let the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria [IMN], Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, he said:
“Two, in the case of El-Zakzaky, how many Nigerians know that El-Zakzaky is not in prison custody, police custody nor DSS custody? El-Zakzaky is in a house with his family. This is the honest truth.
“He is in what is called protective custody. The court ruled that he be released after his house has been rebuilt but nobody wants to accept El-Zakzaky as a neighbour. So, we have been unable to build the house. So, where do we release him to?
Concerning the condition of arrest and detention of the former National Security Adviser [NSA], Mr Mohammed answered:
“In the case of Dasuki, every government will always thread this very thin line between personal liberty and national security. And I think you must give the government the credit to determine what is national security. In the case of Sambo Dasuki, the issue is a grave one.
“If the person is in possession of $1.2 billion; there are records that he moved in one day $1.2 billion in two transactions – we know the banks he moved them to. And you refused to tell us what you have done with that money, I don’t think it would be prudent to jeopardise the national security of a whole nation because of the individual freedom of one person. Because with $1.2 billion, you can destabilise a whole country.
On the question of why the federal government is overstepping the rule of law, he replied:
“You see, all those who have been disturbing us about rule of law or the other, I just wish they would have the opportunity to be in government for a short time and they will see how difficult it is to balance personal freedom with national security.”
Would you like to be receiving ALL Elombah.com news links ‘On The Go’ on WhatsApp? If yes, please provide us your WhatsApp number via publisher@elombah.com or inbox +2349050382526 and you are ready to go!
© Copyright 2017 www.elombah.com; unless otherwise indicated, all images are courtesy of Twitter; send eyewitness accounts/reports/articles to publisher@elombah.com; follow us on twitter @Elombah; like our Facebook page: Elombah.com; join us on WhatsApp HERE