• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • ICPC Secures Conviction of Rector for Running Unaccredited Degree Programmes

      Engr Abba Babagana Dalori

      Engr Dalori Forfeits Galaxy Hospital, Petrol Station, Properties & Cash

      Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

      ASUU

      Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

      EFCC Arraigns Bauchi Accountant General Over N8bn Fraud as Court Sentences…

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • Trade Facilitation: Nigeria Customs, NACCIMA Strengthen Partnership

      Economic Confidential to Host 3rd Public Lecture, Unveil Books on Nigeria’s…

      Luanda Summit: AUDA-NEPAD Taps AI, Green Bonds as it Launches Marketplace…

      Tinubu Jets to Brazil After Japan Summit, Eyes Trade, Security Deals

      Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi (MFR), hosted the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr. Zacch Adedeji,

      Customs and the “National Single Window” Project

  • National
    • BREAKING: Immigration Announces Upward Review for Passport Fees to N100,000, N200,000

      Military Troops during operations

      Niger Speaker Applauds Troops After Latest Intelligence Led Anti-Banditry Operation

      Nigerian Police Force

      Police Nab Suspected Terrorists in Imo, Fake Soldier in Abuja

      DICON and DMG Events to Co-Host AFRIDEX 2026

      DICON, DMG Events to Co-Host Africa Defence Exhibition 2026

      President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

      Tinubu Vows Tech-Driven Development, Food Security, Urges Diaspora Participation

    • Government
      • DG VON Jibrin Baba Ndace

        Ndace and the ‘Voice’ of Vision By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id

        President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

        Tinubu Vows Tech-Driven Development, Food Security, Urges Diaspora Participation

        DG VON Jibrin Baba Ndace

        Voice of Nigeria Restores TX2 Shortwave Antenna to Global Service

        ASUU

        ASUU Warns of Fresh Strike Over Unfulfilled 2009 Agreement

        Pantami Foundation Launches Free Phone Repair and AI Training for Nigerian…

  • Security
    • Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa CDS

      Nigeria Wins Hosting Rights for International Defence Expo 2026

      Group photograph of VP Kashim Shettima, CDS General Musa, Minister Bello Matewale and Africa Chief of Defence Staff.

      Africa’s Defence Chiefs Champion AI, Youth Empowerment in War on Extremism

      Military Troops during operations

      Niger Speaker Applauds Troops After Latest Intelligence Led Anti-Banditry Operation

      Nigerian Police Force

      Police Nab Suspected Terrorists in Imo, Fake Soldier in Abuja

      DICON and DMG Events to Co-Host AFRIDEX 2026

      DICON, DMG Events to Co-Host Africa Defence Exhibition 2026

  • Features
    • DG VON Jibrin Baba Ndace

      Ndace and the ‘Voice’ of Vision By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id

      Colonel (rtd) Muhammad Mana

      Tribute to Colonel Mohammed Mana: An Officer & Gentleman ​By Sani…

      Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa CDS

      African Security: Nigeria Leads from the Front By Edward Gabkwet

      CG Custom Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and Zacch Adedeji

      Is Zacch Adedeji Building Bridges for Nigeria’s Revenue Future? By Yushau…

      Army soldiers security

      Mattress of Terror: Can Nigeria Ever Be Truly Secure? By Haroon…

  • State
    • Military Troops during operations

      Niger Speaker Applauds Troops After Latest Intelligence Led Anti-Banditry Operation

      Nigerian Police Force

      Police Nab Suspected Terrorists in Imo, Fake Soldier in Abuja

      Alh. Yushau Shuaib, Brig Gen. (rtd) Chris Olukolade and Mallam Kashifu Inuwa

      NITDA, IMPR Spotlight AI as Driver of Nigeria’s Digital Future at…

      The Northeast Zonal Coordinator of the Centre, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Adamu (retd.), during a courtesy visit to the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Nigerian Army Headquarters, Maiduguri, Brig.-Gen. U.V. Unachukwu.

      FG, Nigerian Army Partner to Tackle Proliferation of Small Arms

      Troops Repel Boko Haram/ISWAP Attack, Eliminate Scores in Borno

  • Event
    • Alh. Yushau Shuaib, Brig Gen. (rtd) Chris Olukolade and Mallam Kashifu Inuwa

      NITDA, IMPR Spotlight AI as Driver of Nigeria’s Digital Future at…

      DICON and DMG Events to Co-Host AFRIDEX 2026

      DICON, DMG Events to Co-Host Africa Defence Exhibition 2026

      Economic Confidential to Host 3rd Public Lecture, Unveil Books on Nigeria’s…

      President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

      His Death is a National Loss, Tinubu Mourns Emir of Zuru

      Umar Lauya

      Umar Lauya Declares Candidacy for NYCN Presidency, Vows to Unite and…

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home Features Rule of law vs national security: Courting another inglorious legacy?
  • Features
  • Security

Rule of law vs national security: Courting another inglorious legacy?

By
Zainab Okino-suleiman
-
August 30, 2018
President Muhammad Buhari
President Muhammad Buhari

Rule of law vs national security: Courting another inglorious legacy?
By Zainab Okino-Suleiman

Over the years, in the course of this job, I have learnt not to dabble into stories that border on national security. Some stories we write have security implication; we sometimes think they are insignificant and simply call them fillers. I learned the hard way never to take any printed word for granted. In my days at Daily Trust, I came across such a “filler” or an “insignificant” story with far reaching security implication just as it (the story) drew the ire of one of the security agencies. It was about one of ‘their personnel’ who had a minor land dispute with his kinsman somewhere in the South-South, which our reporter filed and we at the head office got published. Based on that publication, my bosses and I, were invited by the agency in question. In a nutshell, the agency’s representative politely explained the implication of our publication which he said was tantamount to “unmasking a masquerade in a market square” as we say in Nigeria; that means our story has so exposed the gentleman in question he could lose his job or might never attain a certain position in his career, while the agency could also be slighted in the process. At another time, I had to be a guest of yet another agency because of the “implication” of an editorial in the paper I edited.

Although, these are learning curves, I have since been reluctant to make comments on security related matters. President Buhari’s recent comment on security and rule of law, has however drawn me from my self-imposed censorship. First, rule of law concerns all of us; it is a set of values that should guide and regulate our day to day activities, and it is the guiding light for government. The whole essence of constitutional democracy is the rule of law; it is sacrosanct and without rule of law, there will be breakdown of law and order, which invariably can affect national security.

I want to believe President Buhari knows this, having served as a military head of state and now serving as a civilian president. As at 2015, Nigerians were obsessed with Buhari; but were also nostalgic about his War Against Indiscipline. Nigerians also did not forget to point out his dictatorial streak and Decrees 2 and 4 which gagged the press and put freedom of speech in abeyance, but all the same, felt we needed a semblance of his sense of integrity to rescue a nation in decay. Today the story is different; he has not been able re-enact the “good” in his past misdeeds; the fight against corruption, his major campaign watchword, is growing horns, and the economy is in doldrums.

Read Also:

  • BREAKING: Immigration Announces Upward Review for Passport Fees to N100,000, N200,000
  • Nigeria Wins Hosting Rights for International Defence Expo 2026
  • Africa’s Defence Chiefs Champion AI, Youth Empowerment in War on Extremism

By the time Buhari insinuated the possibility of jettisoning the rule of law in the interest of national security a few days ago, Nigerians again began to question his true credential as a reformed democrat. At the 2018 Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association on Sunday, President Buhari said: “The rule of Law must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest. Our apex court has had cause to adopt a position on this issue in this regard and it is now a matter of judicial recognition that; where national security and public interest are threatened or there is a likelihood of their being threatened, the individual rights of those allegedly responsible must take second place, in favour of the greater good of society”.

This has therefore triggered debates about which should take precedence over the other and whether the president is yet to cure himself of his military mentality of yester years. The remark is also seen as a justification for the continued detention of Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), former National Security Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, who has been in detention since December 2015 and Shiite leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-zakzaky, charged for offences bordering on culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, and disturbance of public peace in the aftermath of the altercation that ensued after his group clashed with the Army Chief, Maj General Tukur Buratai’s convoy. According to the account of the officials of Kaduna state government, 347 Shiites were killed and given mass burial. But despite the loss of lives of his followers and several court judgments granting him bail and ordering his release, the sheikh is still held incommunicado. The president once said the judiciary is his problem. With his latest outburst, he is actually proving his disdain for rule of law and subsuming it under national security and is yet another excuse to curtail individual freedom.

In the two cases mentioned above, the president went against the constitution of the land. He should actually be reprimanded, if politics was not in the mix, but justifying it is taking presidential power to an unacceptable limit and making Nigeria look like a banana republic.

How can the president who should ensure the functionality and observance of the rule of law justify its defiance in the name of national security? A government that has failed to abide by the rule of law through its rejection of court orders should not further trivialise issues, and to juxtapose it with national security argument amounts to an impunity of the highest order. Whether it is allegations of treason, corruption, murder, theft, kidnapping, etc., the final arbiter in the pronouncement of guilty verdict resides with the judiciary.

Our criminal justice system is a poor mimicry of what operates in other climes: from gathering of evidence, prosecution to trial to execution, time is lost, values eroded and justice denied. Unfortunately, statements like this, coming from the highest authority in the land give credence to our dysfunctional criminal justice system and embolden law enforcement agencies to always take side with the government in all cases no matter how innocent the accused is. This is one of the reasons why people’s rights are not respected, why justice is delayed or denied and why our prisons are bursting at the seams with awaiting trials or innocent victims, because someone somewhere presumed them guilty before their trials could even begin.

As a matter of responsibility, President Buhari should be on the side of the rule of law and the constitution, because they are parts of the oaths of office he swore to preserve. Failing to do so should not be a reason to deride it either. These are grounds for a case against him, if not in Nigeria, but at the Hague, by the time he ceases to be president. This should not be a legacy for a man so revered.

Zainab Okino-Suleiman, a Columnist writes from Abuja

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • buhari
  • Decree 2
Previous articleCBN Slams N5.87bn on 4 Banks, MTN to Refund $8bn
Next articleSecurity: Customs Boss Hails FOSSRA on Inter-agency Collaboration
Zainab Okino-suleiman
Zainab Okino-suleiman
https://prnigeria.com
PRNigeria is the pioneer Press Release Distribution agency in Nigeria. A member of image Merchant Promotions limited, PRNigeria encourages individuals and organisations to be more transparent in their information management. with dedicated Editorial staffs, the PRNigeria ensures that information provided on its platforms are timely, factual and authoritative Read more at: //prnigeria.com/about/
Facebook Twitter

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

BREAKING: Immigration Announces Upward Review for Passport Fees to N100,000, N200,000

Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa CDS

Nigeria Wins Hosting Rights for International Defence Expo 2026

Group photograph of VP Kashim Shettima, CDS General Musa, Minister Bello Matewale and Africa Chief of Defence Staff.

Africa’s Defence Chiefs Champion AI, Youth Empowerment in War on Extremism

Military Troops during operations

Niger Speaker Applauds Troops After Latest Intelligence Led Anti-Banditry Operation

Nigerian Police Force

Police Nab Suspected Terrorists in Imo, Fake Soldier in Abuja

DG VON Jibrin Baba Ndace

Ndace and the ‘Voice’ of Vision By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id

DICON and DMG Events to Co-Host AFRIDEX 2026

DICON, DMG Events to Co-Host Africa Defence Exhibition 2026

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu Vows Tech-Driven Development, Food Security, Urges Diaspora Participation

The Northeast Zonal Coordinator of the Centre, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Adamu (retd.), during a courtesy visit to the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Nigerian Army Headquarters, Maiduguri, Brig.-Gen. U.V. Unachukwu.

FG, Nigerian Army Partner to Tackle Proliferation of Small Arms

FG to Spend N750bn on Pension Bond, Expands Free Medical Services for Civil Servants

Troops Repel Boko Haram/ISWAP Attack, Eliminate Scores in Borno

Colonel (rtd) Muhammad Mana

Tribute to Colonel Mohammed Mana: An Officer & Gentleman ​By Sani Usman Kukasheka

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Log in to leave a comment

Recent Posts

  • BREAKING: Immigration Announces Upward Review for Passport Fees to N100,000, N200,000
  • Nigeria Wins Hosting Rights for International Defence Expo 2026
  • Africa’s Defence Chiefs Champion AI, Youth Empowerment in War on Extremism
  • Niger Speaker Applauds Troops After Latest Intelligence Led Anti-Banditry Operation
  • Police Nab Suspected Terrorists in Imo, Fake Soldier in Abuja
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
BREAKING: Immigration Announces Upward Review for Passport Fees to N100,000, N200,000Nigeria Wins Hosting Rights for International Defence Expo 2026Africa’s Defence Chiefs Champion AI, Youth Empowerment in War on ExtremismNiger Speaker Applauds Troops After Latest Intelligence Led Anti-Banditry OperationPolice Nab Suspected Terrorists in Imo, Fake Soldier in AbujaNITDA, IMPR Spotlight AI as Driver of Nigeria’s Digital Future at Economic Confidential LectureNdace and the ‘Voice’ of Vision By Ahmed Balarabe Sa’idDICON, DMG Events to Co-Host Africa Defence Exhibition 2026Tinubu Vows Tech-Driven Development, Food Security, Urges Diaspora ParticipationFG, Nigerian Army Partner to Tackle Proliferation of Small ArmsFG to Spend N750bn on Pension Bond, Expands Free Medical Services for Civil ServantsTroops Repel Boko Haram/ISWAP Attack, Eliminate Scores in BornoTribute to Colonel Mohammed Mana: An Officer & Gentleman ​By Sani Usman KukashekaYouth Group Launches Digital Hub to Counter Violent ExtremismVoice of Nigeria Restores TX2 Shortwave Antenna to Global Service
X whatsapp