SAN FRANCISCO, June 02, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has explained that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari should not be accused of flouting court orders.
Speaking in an interview with Osasu Igbinedion on The Osasu Show, Mohammed said the government has to balance human right issues with national security before a decision is made.
When asked why the government continually flouts court rulings on the release of Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA) and Ibrahim El Zakzaky, he insisted that the judiciary does not have the entire picture on some cases at hand and it was the responsibility of government to decide what is best in the interest of national security.
“Every government will balance national security with human rights; every country in the world. It is the level of the balancing,” he said.
“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 is why 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.
“You can’t pick two, three cases which bother on national security to condemn a whole government and say this government is a government of impunity.
“How many cases are determined daily in Nigeria? I still say every government has that right to balance national security.”
