The court order against Lt Gen Yahaya Faruk, the chief of the army staff, and other leaders of the nation’s security agencies has been criticized by the Coalition for Truth and Justice, or CTJ.
The group warned the judiciary against using specific legal declarations against security officials to make Nigeria look foolish in front of the international community.
Barrister Timothy Charles, the organization’s national president, argued that judicial rulings against security chiefs made a mockery of the legal system.
At a press conference on Friday in Abuja, Charles voiced his opposition to such declarations and cautioned that it might cause chaos in the nation and divert security agencies from their tasks.
He declared: “Our legal system is being mocked when different courts across the nation issue orders remanding heads of security agencies in prison custody.
“The judicial arm of government must accept reality on the ground to understand that such actions can inflame the polity and make the country look foolish in front of the international community,” the author writes.
In recent times, courts have ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, and Inspector General of Police, Baba-Ahmed, must serve prison sentences.
Also, the arrest of COAS had been mandated by a Federal High Court in Minna, Niger State.
Charles, though, claimed that the court ruling against COAS was embarrassing and unsettling.
The judicial branch of government must exercise caution when issuing orders that amount to a systemic embarrassment of the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, he said. “Our considered opinion is that it is an invitation for chaos.”