Killing of Zamfara 8 is barbaric and unacceptable- Falana
Thu Aug 25, 2016 02:06:pm National
2.5K By Buchi Obichie
Reacting to the incident of the killing of 8 people in Zamfara over alleged blasphemy, renowned human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has described the dastardly act as barbaric and condemnable.
Falana said the suspected killers should be arrested and treated as murderers, and urged the police to immediately commence investigation and bring the suspects to book.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria lamented that the killing was one too many, even though he stated that it was not surprising because the Nigerian security forces had consistently indulged in similar extrajudicial killings.
Referring to the killing of hundreds of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, otherwise known as Shi'ites by some soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna State last December, Falana said in any country where the rule of law was absent, anarchy would usually be the order of the day.
He said, "The extrajudicial killing of eight unarmed Nigerians on allegation of apostasy is very barbaric and unacceptable.
"The police must move in speedily to investigate, arrest the suspects and charge them to court without any delay.
"Much as the brutal killing is condemnable, it is not new given the fact that security forces in our country have consistently engaged in extrajudicial killings of criminal suspects and other innocent demonstrators without any justification.
"In other words, if a Government can announce publicly that its soldiers killed 248 citizens and buried their body in a shallow grave, what do you expect?
"This is one killing too many. From the North to the South and from the East to the West, it is the killing of demonstrators."
Falana said the suspected killers should be arrested and treated as murderers, and urged the police to immediately commence investigation and bring the suspects to book.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria lamented that the killing was one too many, even though he stated that it was not surprising because the Nigerian security forces had consistently indulged in similar extrajudicial killings.
Referring to the killing of hundreds of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, otherwise known as Shi'ites by some soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna State last December, Falana said in any country where the rule of law was absent, anarchy would usually be the order of the day.
He said, "The extrajudicial killing of eight unarmed Nigerians on allegation of apostasy is very barbaric and unacceptable.
"The police must move in speedily to investigate, arrest the suspects and charge them to court without any delay.
"Much as the brutal killing is condemnable, it is not new given the fact that security forces in our country have consistently engaged in extrajudicial killings of criminal suspects and other innocent demonstrators without any justification.
"In other words, if a Government can announce publicly that its soldiers killed 248 citizens and buried their body in a shallow grave, what do you expect?
"This is one killing too many. From the North to the South and from the East to the West, it is the killing of demonstrators."
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