Travel Ban Will Bring Ridicule On FG - Femi Falana

Femi Falana, a senior lawyer and human rights activist, says the executive order imposing a travel ban on some Nigerians is a violation of the law

Falana says only the courts and anti-corruption agencies can impose restrictions on persons in the country - The senior lawyer calls on the federal government to withdraw the travel ban without any delay Femi Falana, a senior lawyer and human rights activist has said the travel ban placed on 50 high-profile Nigerians by President Muhammadu Buhari would expose the current administration to ridicule. The Cable reports that Falana in a statement on Sunday, October 14, said the directive that is backed by an executive order signed by the president was a violation of the law. The senior lawyer stated that only the courts and anti-corruption agencies could impose restrictions on persons in the country. He called on the federal government to withdraw the ban without any delay, noting that the ban was a reminder of how the military imposed restrictions on political opponents by seizure of their passports and restricting their movement. "Sadly, the travel ban is a sad reminder of the reckless placement of political opponents on security watch list and seizure of their passports by the defunct military junta,” Falana said.

“Notwithstanding such judicial indictment of politically exposed persons seeking medical treatment during trial the law has not authorised the Executive to restrict the movement of criminal suspects. “The power of the anti-graft agencies and the courts to place criminal suspects on watch list or subject their passports to temporary seizure has never been in doubt. “To that extent, the directive to place the 50 high profile suspected persons on watch list and restrict their movement is highly superfluous, completely unwarranted and totally uncalled for. “In fact, it is an ingenious design to expose the Buhari administration to ridicule. “If the federal government had done some background check it would have discovered that the names of the 50 VIPs have long been placed on security watch list while their passports have been impounded by the anti graft agencies or the courts as one of the conditions for admitting them to bail.

“For the umpteenth time, I am compelled to caution the Buhari administration to wage the war against the menace of corruption within the ambit of the rule of law. “Since the 50 high profile criminal suspects covered by EO6 have been placed on watch list while their passports have been seized by either the anti graft agencies or the courts the travel ban slammed on them by President Buhari ought to be withdrawn without any delay.” Similarly, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has raised alarm over the travel ban imposed by the federal government on 50 Nigerians. Abubakar, on Sunday afternoon, October 14, warned that the travel ban was capable of devastating the Nigerian economy, and could at worse plunge the most-populous black nation into anarchy, Premium Times reports. The presidential candidate in a statement from his campaign office said the action by the president in imposing the ban was undemocratic and contravenes the sworn oath to abide by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.