{"id":126307,"date":"2026-03-26T02:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T01:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=126307"},"modified":"2026-03-26T02:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T01:39:12","slug":"free-or-charge-sheikh-khalifa-now-atiku-tells-security-agencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/free-or-charge-sheikh-khalifa-now-atiku-tells-security-agencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Free or Charge Sheikh Khalifa Now, Atiku Tells Security Agencies\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Godswill Michael<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called on security agencies to either immediately release Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria, or formally charge him to court, warning that his continued detention without trial undermines Nigeria\u2019s democratic principles.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Atiku, in a statement issued on Wednesday, described the prolonged detention of the cleric, reportedly held since December 2025 over alleged involvement in a coup plot, as a grave violation of his fundamental human rights.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He expressed concern that despite a subsisting order of the Federal High Court directing that Sheikh Khalifa be presented in court, authorities have failed to comply, an action he said amounts to a direct affront to the rule of law and judicial authority.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThere can be no democracy without strict adherence to the rule of law. No security agency is above the Constitution, and none has the power to treat the rights of citizens as privileges to be dispensed with at will,\u201d Atiku stated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The former vice president decried the cleric\u2019s reported lack of access to his family, legal counsel, and adequate medical care, describing the situation as a gross violation of constitutionally guaranteed rights.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In recent years, concerns have mounted over the detention of individuals by security agencies in Nigeria without prompt arraignment in court, particularly in cases involving national security allegations. Legal experts and civil society organisations have consistently argued that such practices contravene provisions of the Constitution, which mandate that suspects be charged to court within a reasonable time.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The issue has also been the subject of multiple court rulings, with Nigerian courts repeatedly affirming that prolonged detention without trial is unlawful, regardless of the nature of the allegations.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite these rulings, enforcement has remained a challenge, raising questions about institutional accountability and respect for judicial orders.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Against this backdrop, Atiku warned that normalising arbitrary detention poses a significant threat to Nigeria\u2019s democratic foundations and risks eroding public trust in state institutions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also noted growing public speculation about the cleric\u2019s condition, attributing it to the silence of authorities, which he said has deepened uncertainty and mistrust.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cNigeria cannot continue to claim the status of a democracy while the rights of its citizens are routinely and brazenly violated,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Godswill Michael Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called on security agencies to either immediately release Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Khalifa Zaria, or formally charge him to court,&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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