Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has hailed the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the release of the leader of the Shi’ite Muslim sect, Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife.
The governor also commended the court for the N50m damages awarded against the Department of State Services.
Fayose, who had called for the release of El-Zakzaky two weeks ago, however said he won’t be surprised if the Federal Government did not obey the judgment.
“The judgement will be for posterity even if in their usual style of impunity, those holding power in Abuja ignore the judgment.”
He called on the judiciary to save democracy in Nigeria as well as Nigerians from tyranny by being courageous and firm even in the face of intimidation, harassment, blackmail and character assassination by those whose desire, he said, was to muscle opposition and turn Nigeria to as one party state.
Fayose, according to a statement issued on Friday, by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, reiterated his earlier call on the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International and other world bodies to investigate extra Judicial killings in the country in the last 15 months, especially the murder of over 300 Shi’ite Muslims in Zaria and killing of over 150 Biafra activists.
He argued that under international human rights law governing the use of firearms during policing operations, the intentional use of lethal force is only permitted when strictly unavoidable, to protect life.
Fayose noted that the detention of El-Zakzaky, since last year December after the murder of over 300 of his followers was inhuman and wicked.