Minister of information and culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, has explained why
the government of President Muhammadu Buhari flout court orders.
Speaking in an interview with Osasu Igbinedion on The Osasu Show, Mohammed
said the government disregard some court orders in the interest of
national security.
The trained lawyer also said the judiciary does not have the “entire
picture” on some cases at hand and it was the responsibility of government
to balance human rights and national security.
When asked why the government continually flouts court rulings on the
release of Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA) and
Ibrahim El Zakzaky, Lai said: “Every government will balance national
security with human rights; every country in the world. It is the level of
the balancing”.
“As a government, I will balance national security against human rights;
and then I will take a decision. Because there is security, there is
stability, that the courts also exist.
“What I am saying (is) that the court has ruled but the court does not
have the entire picture when it comes to national security. I am a lawyer
too, therefore I have utmost respect for the judiciary”.
Mohammed however added that Nigerians cannot “pick one or two cases” and
conclude that Buhari runs a government of impunity.
“You cant pick two, three cases which bother on national security to
condemn a whole government and say this government is a government of
impunity,” he added.
“How many cases are determined daily in Nigeria? I still say every
government has that right to balance national security.”
On the health of Buhari, Mohammed said he last spoke to the president the
day he travelled, but other ministers had spoken to him afterwards “and
they know the president is fine”.