Abuja-based lawyer drags Federal Government, Army to court over Operation Python Dance III

macfranc007 September 21, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Jerrywright Ukwu

- The federal government and the Nigerian Amry have been dragged to the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja

- This is due to the over planned military operation tagged Operation Python Dance III in the five South-east states

- The suit was initiated by human rights activist and Abuja based lawyer, Mr. Oleka Udenze

The federal government and the Nigerian Amry have been dragged to the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja by human rights activist and Abuja based lawyer, Mr. Oleka Udenze.

This is due to the over planned military operation tagged Operation Python Dance III in the five South-east states, Vanguard reports.

Joined in the suit are President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney-General of the Federation; Abubakar Malami, SAN, Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olanisakin and the Chief of Army staff, COAS, General Tukur Buratai.

The plaintiff is among other things seeking that the court should determine “Whether having regards to the provision of sections 1 (1) and (3) of Armed Forces Act, Cap A20, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, the defendants are conferred with the statutory power to deploy soldiers and officers of the Nigeria Army to the streets of the South-east states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and lmo, without the approval of the national assembly other than for purposes related to or connected with its statutorily prescribed powers and functions.

“Whether, in the light of the provision of section 42 (1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) the defendants’ deployment of soldiers to the South-east states is discriminatory and amounts to a gross violation of the constitution.

“Whether having regards to the facts, exhibits and depositions in the verifying affidavit hereto attached, the purported military Operation Python Dance and the deployment of soldiers to the South-east has any place in our laws.”

The plaintiff is also praying the court to declare that, “the 1st defendant acted ultra vires his powers and functions as statutorily conferred on him under the Armed Forces Act,” among other prayers.

Others are: “A declaration that the conduct of the defendants were biased and in contravention of the rules of natural justice and constitutional right to freedom from discrimination by deploying soldiers and laying siege to the south-east despite not being in a period of war nor a restive region

“A declaration that the defendants lack the statutory powers to deploy soldiers to the South-East region and any other place in Nigeria without the consent of the national assembly.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from deploying soldiers to the streets of the south-east for Operation Python Dance 3 or any other operation under any guise and form.”

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Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has described the removal of Mr Matthew Seiyefa and choice of Yusuf Bichi as the new boss of the DSS as a show of President Muhammadu Buhari’s profound nepotism.

The group said the appointment was a true reflection of the president’s ethnic bias and which it said had been on display since he was sworn in on May 29, 2015.

Secretary-General of the IYC, Alfred Kemepado, in a statement sent to journalists, wondered why the president would appoint a man who had finished his term and retired over six months ago, in place of a ‘very qualified Matthew Seiyefa’ who it insisted was already doing a fantastic job.

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