Tope Akinyode, a human rights lawyer and National President, Revolutionary Lawyers’ Forum, has commenced criminal proceedings against top Federal Government officials for violating social distancing and restriction of individuals during the burial of Abba Kyari, the late Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall that Federal Government officials flocked the Guma Cemetery in Abuja to perform funeral rites for the late CoS, in defiance to directives on social distancing, particularly that the number of people to be present in such occasion should not exceed 20.
Akioye, who filed the suit at the Magistrate Court, Wuse 2, Abuja, noted that dozens of Nigerians who breached the rule on social distancing and limitation of attendance to events, had been prosecuted, including a taxi driver who stripped himself naked in Abuja to protest hunger, and popular Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele aka Jennifer, and her husband.
He stressed that till date, the government officials and presidential aides, who flooded Kyari’s burial in defiance of the regulations, were yet to be prosecuted.
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Akinyode, who filed the suit as a private prosecutor, said he did not require a fiat of the Attorney-General of the Federation to institute the case.
The top officials, who were listed in the charge included Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity); Babagana Monguno (National Security Adviser, NSA); Ambassador Lawal Kazaure (Chief Protocol Officer), Yusuf Sabiu (a.k.a Tunde), Special Assistant to the President; Musa Haro Daura, a nephew to the President and Mr. Ahmad Rufai (Director-General, National Intelligence Agency).
Others are Bashir Ahmed (Personal Assistant on New Media to President Buhari); Boss Mustapha (SGF and Chairman of the PTF); Senator Hadi Sirika (Minister of Aviation); Mr Geoffrey Onyeama (Minister of Foreign Affairs); Dr Aliyu Sani (National Coordinator of the PTF) and Hajiya Dadiya Umar Farouq (Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development).
Akinyode, in a statement on Thursday, indicated that the case had been assigned to Magistrate Zubairu Mohammad of Court 1, Magistrate Court, Wuse 2 FCT, Abuja, although no date has been fixed for hearing yet.
