Mr President! Obey court order and free Sheikh Zakzaky immediately – IMN

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), has told President Muhammadu Buhari, to stop beating about the bush and release their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.

This message was conveyed by their spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, in a statement released on Sunday.

He called on Buhari to obey court orders and set El-Zakzaky free.

The statement reads:

In his New Year message to Nigerians, President Muhammadu Buhari, made an unusual call to those he termed the Shia community, whom he referred to as his “brothers and sisters.” We note the leap in his outlook of the IMN from his infamous “state within a state” gaffe in his maiden presidential speech to “our brothers and sisters of the Shia Community” all within one year. This is a remarkable feat considering the snail speed his administration has come to be characterized with.

Beyond this however, the president actually evaded the points at issue. His call that we “must accept the laws of the country” we live in should actually have been echoed to him. Have we not challenged all acts of brutality and extra-judicial killing of our members in our law courts peacefully? Even in the face of extreme persecution and provocation, we have followed the laws of the land, not by taking the laws into our hands, or by employing jungle justice or disobeying any legitimate laws of the country, but by seeking redress in law courts, even as we know of the administration’s legendary disregard for court orders.

On the contrary, Mr President, you are yet to obey the court order to release our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, whom you have held in illegal detention, without charges, for more than a year now despite a court order for his release! Mr President, only last week our leading Counsel, Femi Falana (SAN) had written to remind you of that court order through your Chief Law officer, the Attorney-General. Thus, we must ask you to stop begging the question. You should obey the laws of the country you lead by obeying court order to free Sheikh Zakzaky immediately!