BY MARY KUYE
If you have ever paid kidnappers a ransom for your freedom, you are free constitutionally to sue the Federal Government of Nigeria for a refund, says Femi Falana, SAN.
He said: “If a family pays a ransom to secure freedom of their abducted ones; they should approach the courts and demand a refund of the amount paid because the primary responsibility of government is to secure the people.”
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Falana on Wednesday called on Nigerians paying ransom to secure freedom for their abducted loved ones to feel free to approach the courts to compel the federal government to refund same.
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According to him, it is the constitutional responsibility of the government to protect the lives and property of its citizenry.
Falana disclosed this yesterday at the 18th Anti-Corruption Situation Room, ACSR, organized by the HEDA Resource Centre in partnership with the McArthur Foundation.
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The senior advocate who was the keynote speaker at the event also flayed anti-graft agencies in the land for what he called the selective prosecution of corrupt cases; a development he stressed, makes winning the fight against corruption difficult.
He spoke on the theme, “Renewing efforts of state and non-state actors in the fight against corruption in Nigeria,” Falana chided President Muhammadu Buhari and top government functionaries for failing to make their asset declaration forms public, adding that in the eyes of the law, there is no such thing as secret asset declaration.
He said: “If a family pays a ransom to secure freedom of their abducted ones; they should approach the courts and demand a refund of the amount paid because the primary responsibility of government is to secure the people.”
