The interim Chairman, Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), Femi Falana, has asked the Federal Government to secure the release of the officer abducted during an attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Falana asked President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to unmask the killers and bring the perpetrators to book to serve as a deterrent to others.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria noted that by choosing to invade the military institution, the criminal elements have proven that nowhere is safe in Nigeria.
“The Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) strongly condemns the last week’s invasion of the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, the brutal killing of two officers and the abduction of another officer by a group of terrorists,” he said in the statement.
“By attacking the military institution, the dangerous criminal elements had wanted to prove that nowhere is safe in Nigeria.
“To prove the criminals wrong the Federal Government should ensure the immediate release of the abducted officer and proceed to arrest the criminal elements who committed the heinous crimes.”
He recalled that the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami had in April revealed that the government had concluded arrangements to arraign 400 sponsors of terrorists as well as 800 suspected terrorists at the Federal High Court.
Four months down the line, Falana knocked the current administration for allegedly failing to prosecute the terrorists’ sponsors.
He added, “ASCAB is sad to note that the Federal Government has refused to prosecute the sponsors of terrorists who were recently arrested and interrogated by the State Security Service.
“In particular, the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation announced in April this year that arrangements had been concluded for the arraignment of 400 sponsors of terrorists and 800 terror suspects at the Federal High Court.
“But for reasons best known to the Federal Government, the arrested sponsors of terrorism and terror suspects have not been charged with terrorism and allied offences before any Court. Other sponsors of terrorism including a few traditional rulers indicted by some state governments have not been brought to book for their alleged involvement in the nefarious enterprise.”
Falana’s comments come five days after gunmen stormed the NDA Permanent Headquarters in Kaduna State, killing two officers and abducting one other officer, a situation that drew criticism with the military authorities vowing to apprehend the attackers.
