Falana SAN Faults NHRC Over Navy’s Detention Of 40 Persons – TheNigerialawyer

A human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on Monday faulted
the claim by the National Human Rights Commission to be blameless
in the alleged illegal detention of 40 persons by the Nigerian
Navy.

The NHRC had in a statement by its Director Corporate Affairs
and External Linkages, Lambert Oparah, on Sunday, condemned the
alleged illegal detention, but said it was not its duty to enforce
the court order for the detainees’ release.

It added that Falana did not show that he had approached the
court to enforce the order directing the release of the
detainees.

It also said the Navy on its request for information, stated
that the case involving the 40 persons had been handed over to the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The commission was reacting to a threat of legal action against
the commission in the event of the Navy’s failure to release the
detainees.

But Falana said in a statement on Monday that the NHRC did not
furnish him with the response of the Nigerian Navy to his
petition.

He also wondered if the rights commission ever cross-checked
with the EFCC the Navy’s claim that the detainees were sent to the
anti-corruption body.

He said, “I have the resent court orders to Mr. Tony Ojukwu (the
Executive Secretary of NHRC), once again.

“It may interest you to know that the NRHC never sent the reply
of the Nigerian Navy to me.

“Has NHRC confirmed the claim that the detainees were sent to
EFCC? Is the NHRC not aware that a suit has been filed against
Nigeria in Zurick over the detention of 4 foreigners for 20 months
by the Nigerian Navy?”

Aregbesola Tasks Interior Services to Improve Internal
Security

The Federal Government has again charged security agencies under
the Ministry of Interior to brace up in the fight against
insecurity in line with the policy direction of the Federal
Government which is improving security, revitalizing the economy
and entrenching transparency in the conduct of government
business.

The Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji
Aregbesola gave this charge today when the Permanent Secretary,
Barr. Georgina Ekeoma Ehuriah, MON officially handed over the
affairs of the Ministry to him in his Office in Abuja.

Aregbesola, in his speech, titled, “WE MUST SET FORTH NOW,”
revealed: “There is no denying the fact that we have internal
insecurity, but it is not peculiar to us as a nation, it is like
that all over the world, each nation with its own peculiarities,
what is important is how we respond to the security challenges
confronting us.”

“From antiquity and political philosophy, the primal
responsibility of government is the welfare of the people,
protection of lives and property and maintenance of peace. It is
the foundational responsibility on which other responsibilities are
built. This is the basis on which we campaigned and Nigerians voted
for us. It is a sacred mandate we are fully determined to deliver
on,” he stressed.

The Minister further called on the Services, officers and staff
of the Ministry to join hands with the President Muhammadu Buhari
led Administration in protecting lives and property of the
citizens, in line with the Ministry’s mandate with a view to moving
the country to the next level of socio-economic development.

Aregbesola said, ‘we must set forth now for an improved internal
security’, adding, ‘Ours is to prevent crimes, as the basis of
protecting lives and property, it will become so difficult to
commit crime, once people know they cannot get away with it, so
brace up for the task’, he emphasised.

He pointed out that the Correctional Service should ensure that
all the correctional centres across the country are habitable,
comfortable and clean for inmates. Adding that inmates should be
well fed and given proper health care so as to make transition to a
new life very easy for them, in line with the new laws of the
Service.

The Minister opined that the primary role of our correctional
services should be, to make those who have the opportunity of
returning to the society, become reformed, rather than turning them
to becoming terrors to the society by abusing and brutalising
them.

He also charged the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to ensure
proper security of the nation’s borders, while calling on the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to improve on
their intelligence gathering in the various communities.

Aregbesola who said that insecurity transcends kidnapping,
banditry and other social vices but also includes food insecurity,
natural disasters such as fire, therefore called on the Federal
Fire Service (FFS) to ensure prompt response and prevention of all
forms of fire disaster in the country.

Earlier, while presenting the handing over document to the new
Minister, the Permanent Secretary, Barr. Georgina Ekeoma Ehuriah,
MON, said: “This handing over note highlights the major policies,
programmes and activities of the Ministry of Interior, which has
immediate bearing on your statutory role as the chief policy
formulator and adviser to the administration on internal security
and public safety matters”.

Barr. Ehuriah added that, “all the major accomplishments that
were recorded by the Ministry, under the former Honourable Minister
of Interior, Lt. Gen (rtd) Abdulrahman Dambazau, and those few ones
that took place during the brief period that I was in charge of the
administration of the Ministry are contained herein.”

She that the mandate of the Ministry is to foster and ensure the
maintenance of internal security and citizenship integrity for the
promotion of good governance in the country.

SIGNED
Mohammed Manga
Director (Press & Public Relations)
For: Honourable Minister