Falana in a petition to the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the federation Mohammed Adoke also accused the Police of breaching the freedom of association rights of Nigerians who assembled at NICON Hotel, Abuja for 2-day Colloquium on the Freedom of Information Act.
According to Falana, dignitaries including the Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, the President of the National Industrial Court as well as diplomats were already seated before the gathering was interrupted and disrupted by the Police.
The break up of the Colloquium organized by Anti –Corruption Network and the alleged clamp down on some Nigerians who had shown the courage to condemn cases of corruption in the country in the view of Falana gave a wrong signal that the Federal Government was not committed to the fight against corruption.
The legal icon decried the continued demand by the Police for permit before people could assemble to discuss issues of common concern.
In his view the demand by the Police was an affront on the constitution which guaranteed both the freedom of association and information. He further noted that the court had also affirmed the sanctity of these provisions.
He urged the Justice Minister to without delay direct the attention of the Police to the constitutional provisions and the ruling of the Court of Appeal on the matter.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
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