Security More Important Than Rule Of Law, Human Rights — Customs boss, Hameed Ali

Retired Col Hameed Ali, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria
Customs Service, has said that Nigerians should forget the rule of
law and constitutional protections of their fundamental rights
where matters of security are concerned.

Mr. Ali’s position, which could trouble legal experts and rights
activists, appeared as a reinforcement of the position of President
Muhammadu Buhari and Attorney-General Abubakar Malami — both of
whom had separately expressed their beliefs that security takes
paramount importance over the rule of law.

“When it comes to security, all laws take back a seat,” Mr Ali
reportedly said at a press briefing on border closure Monday, The
Nation reported.

“We want to protect our nation, we want to make sure that our
people are protected. You must be alive and well for you to begin
to ask for your rights. Your rights come when you are well and
alive.

“Go and ask the people in Maiduguri when Boko Haram was
harassing their lives, the only question was survival, there is no
question of right. This time Nigeria must survive first then before
we begin to ask for our rights,” the Lagos-based paper cited the
Customs chief as emphasising at length.

Mr Buhari drew controversy when he said at a conference of the
Nigerian Bar Association last year that his government will
continue to prioritise national security over the rule of law in
relation to allegations of a crackdown on political opponents by
his government.

Shortly afterward, Mr Malami, the nation’s chief law officer,
also said in an interview that the government would continue to
hold former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki on national
security grounds.

Mr Dasuki has been held in detention since 2015 on charges that
he mismanaged a large chunk of money allocated for Defence
procurement during his days as former President Goodluck Jonathan’s
national security adviser.

Mr Ali insisted at today’s briefing that all land borders will
remain shut as a continuation of a closure that began in
August.

He said the measure was to improve Nigeria’s economic situation
and reduce further exploits by neighbouring countries, the Nation
reported.

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EFCC Nabs Suspects for Illegal Broadcast of DSTV
Signal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Uyo Zonal office
on Monday October 14, 2019 arrested two staffs of Communication
Trend Limited, Prisca Isaac, Sales Representative and Nwosu
Precious, Technician at 111 Atiku Abubakar Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom
State for alleged illegal transmission of broadcast signals of
Multichoice (DSTV) to Uyo and environs without authorisation.

The company allegedly charges Three Thousand Five Hundred Naira
(N3, 500.00) and Seven Thousand Five Hundred Naira (N7, 500.00)
monthly as subscription fees to its customers using DSTV and other
decoders without permission.

The arrest followed a petition alleging breach of Multichoice’s
English Premiership broadcast rights.

During the arrest, the following items were recovered: 2 DSTV
Decoders, 1 GOTV Decoder, 28 Well-AV encoders, 3 Transmitters mode
ADC Telecommunications, 3 Modulators, 2 UBS DTX 1008 Transmitters,
2 Startimes Decoders, 1 Omovo TV Decoder, 1Trendy TV Decoder, 1 CTL
N7, 500 Subscription Recharge Cards, 1 CTL N3, 500 Subscription
Recharge Card, Tiger T1000 Decoder and 1 Starsat Decoder.

The suspects will be charged to court when investigation is
concluded.

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity