By Shola Abayomi.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged the Federal Government to immediately and unconditionally release the detained National Chairman and Presidential Candidate of the African Action Alliance (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, who was arrested by the Department of State Service (DSS) in the early hours of Saturday.
The leader of the Islamic human rights organization, Ishaq Akintola, made the call in a statement issued to reporters on Saturday night.
Akintola urged the Department of State Service (DSS) to respect Sowore’s “Allah-given fundamental human rights”, even though MURIC do not support his planned revolution since the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged its commitment to good governance.
The statement by MURIC read in part: “Although we do not subscribe to the call for any revolution because we do not see the need for it in view of the commitment of the present administration to good governance, we deem it fit to call for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained activist. In the alternative, he must be arraigned before a competent court at the shortest time possible.
“Finally, we remind the DSS of the provisions of Article 7(b) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which stipulates the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court or tribunal. Nigeria is a signatory to this charter and the DSS cannot pretend to be unaware of it.”