Ozekhome replies el-Rufai over decision to engage mercenaries

The threat by Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, to bring in mercenaries to fight terrorist that have reduced his state to hell on earth, if the Federal Government failed to arrest the situation, was scorned by constitutional lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, on Saturday.

Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), described el-Rufai’s threat as a no-brainer as only the Federal Government, in this case, the President, has the constitutional power to embark on such a route.

The lawyer made the clarification in an article titled, “Can Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and Northwest Governors Engage Mercenaries to Fight Insecurity?”

El-Rufai, who briefed the media in Abuja, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, over the spate of insecurity in Kaduna State, said state governors from the north will have no choice but to take action to protect the lives and properties of their people, even if it meant bringing in mercenaries.

In answering his own question, Ozekhome said the issue of inviting mercenaries is akin to deployment of the military to repel and contain external aggression.

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“No state government under our constitutional democracy and legal regime can unilaterally act to invite mercenaries to Nigeria. It is ultra vires their powers. Their only resort is a collaborative rapprochement with the Federal Government. However, they can tackle their state security matters within the permissible limits of our constitutional organogram,” the learned silk explained.

For effect, Ozekhome took a swipe at El-Rufai and his counterparts in the north, saying, “By the way, I thought these are the same Governors that opposed their Southern counterparts when they decided to make anti-grazing laws last year, to protect their territories? They had kicked against such a pre-emptive security measure that was perfectly within the constitutional competence of such states. They always forget that there is always a tomorrow.”

“Whenever you throw a stone into the market, you may never know who will be the target.  When you point one finger at others, the remaining four are pointing at you. When you bring an ants-infested piece of firewood into the house, you should never complain about an invasion of lizards. Let us all be careful. Today is the tomorrow we discussed yesterday. Happy Sunday, Lent and Ramadan season to all Nigerians.”