Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, Wednesday, called on Nigerians paying a ransom to secure freedom for their abducted loved ones to feel free to approach the courts to compel the federal government to refund same because, in his words, “the responsibility for protecting lives and properties lies squarely with the government.”

Falana disclosed this yesterday at the 18th Anti-Corruption Situation Room, ACSR, organized by the HEDA Resource Centre in partnership with the McArthur Foundation.

The senior advocate who was the keynote speaker at the event also flayed anti-graft agencies in the land for what he called the selective prosecution of corrupt cases; a development he stressed, makes winning the fight against corruption difficult.

Falana said: “If a family pays a ransom to secure freedom of their abducted ones; they should approach the courts and demand a refund of the amount paid because the primary responsibility of government is to secure the people.”

The Federal Government on Thursday called on Amnesty International to stop attacking its military men and casting them as “the bad guys” while they prosecute the war against terrorists.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the call at a press conference in Abuja.

Mohammed was responding to the organisation’s accusation that the military burnt some villages and displaced residents.

He said, “I am aware that the Defence Headquarters has responded appropriately to this accusation. The military denied razing down villages and detaining locals unlawfully; that it does not employ arson as an operational tactic; and that looting and burning of villages in the style of Boko Haram terrorists.

“I will like to add that in carrying out their duties, Amnesty International should not cast themselves in the league of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists. They should stop the growing practice of constantly attacking the military and casting them as the bad guys when all they are doing is putting their lives on the line to fight terrorists who have no respect for the sanctity of life, who willfully go after women and children, who attack houses of worship without respect or allegiance to any religion.

“Amnesty International should stop providing succour for terrorists by attributing their atrocities to our troops. Our soldiers, who are defending the country, are guided by extant rules of engagement and operational codes of conduct. They should not be made to look like the aggressors here.

“I am aware that the Federal Government has always taken seriously any allegation of a rights violation by soldiers or other security forces. Investigations have been carried out and culprits, if any, punished.

“And it is a continuous process.”

Details later….

The Court of Appeal on Wednesday sacked Justice Okon Abang from hearing a case against former governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam alongside Okolobia Okpanachi, his former Commissioner of Finance.

This is coming barely 2 weeks after Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the arrest of the publisher of Igbere TV News ,Emeh James Anyalekwa.

Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, Wednesday, called on Nigerians paying a ransom to secure freedom for their abducted loved ones to feel free to approach the courts to compel the federal government to refund same because, in his words, “the responsibility for protecting lives and properties lies squarely with the government.”

Falana disclosed this yesterday at the 18th Anti-Corruption Situation Room, ACSR, organized by the HEDA Resource Centre in partnership with the McArthur Foundation.

The senior advocate who was the keynote speaker at the event also flayed anti-graft agencies in the land for what he called the selective prosecution of corrupt cases; a development he stressed, makes winning the fight against corruption difficult.

Falana said: “If a family pays a ransom to secure freedom of their abducted ones; they should approach the courts and demand a refund of the amount paid because the primary responsibility of government is to secure the people.”