Release Bawa Now, Falana tells DSS
Human rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN, has asked the Department of State Services (DSS) to release the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa from illegal custody without any further delay.
According to him, remand order issued by a Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory “has become spent, invalid and illegal as no magistrate has the power under section 493 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 or section 35 of the Constitution of Nigeria to authorise the detention of a criminal suspect for 67 days without trial.”
In a statement released to the media on Sunday, Falana also urged the Federal Government to guarantee that the DSS and the office of the Director of Public Prosecution in the Federal Ministry of Justice respect the rights of the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and Bawa. This is despite the fact that the duo demonstrated a tendency to disregard court orders during their time in office.
He said that “the plight of both suspects should be a lesson for all public officers in Nigeria who always behave as if there will be no tomorrow. However, the Government which rules by law is under a legal obligation not to breach the fundamental rights of citizens except in a manner prescribed by the Constitution of Nigeria”.
