NWCF Demands Immediate Release Of EFCC Boss, Bawa
Northwest Alliance for Citizens Freedom (NWCF) on Tuesday, condemned the unlawful detention of the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdurasheed Bawa and demanded for his immediate release.
It also condemned the prolonged detention of Bawa, without access to counsel and his family constitutes a clear violation of international human rights norms, which prohibit arbitrary or unlawful detention.
A statement by the President General, NWCF, Lawal Ibrahim Jamaare, said NWCF finds this act of the DSS, a Nigerian government agency a blatant contravention of the rights protected under the 1999 Constitution, such as the right to personal liberty, which are equally protected under regional and international treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory.
Jamaare stressed that without any contradiction, the continued detention of Bawa by the DSS for over three weeks now, is unconstitutional and a breach of his fundamental rights under the 1999 Constitution and other relevant laws that guarantee personal liberty and provide that an arrested or detained person should be held in a place authorized by law.
He said: “The Constitution further requires that detainees be brought to court within 48 hours of their arrest, allowed to have their families informed of their detention, and are allowed reasonable access to their families, lawyers, and medical treatment.
“NWCF condemns with all our might, the unlawful arrest and detention of Abdurasheed Bawa, and calls on Nigerian Government to uphold its human rights obligations.
“We wish to remind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of his human rights obligations and commitments, and to call on him to continue taking steps towards upholding democratic values in Nigeria.”
He urged the President to compel the DSS to immediately release Abdurasheed Bawa and all those detained in similar circumstances or to charge them with an internationally recognised offence, and to ensure their physical and psychological integrity in custody.
Added: “The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the NHRC should investigate Abdulrasheed Bawa’s as well as all credible allegations involving unlawful detention, and those identified as responsible should be prosecuted in fair trials. ”
He call on government to ensure victims have access to remedies including compensation as well as medical and psychological care, while urging regional and international partners of Nigeria to urge the government to adhere to its human rights obligations, and close all unauthorized places of detention, end unlawful detentions, and provide justice and remedies to victims and their families.
