Falana Declares Legal Battle: Who is IBB and Why Now?

Femi Falana, a human rights attorney, has pledged to take General Ibrahim Babangida, rtd, to court for allegedly violating human rights.

During his tenure as military head of state, Babangida imprisoned a number of people, including Femi Falana, a prominent Nigerian attorney.

Falana and others who opposed the military government's decision to void the June 12, 1993 election were taken into custody, charged in court, and imprisoned in Kuje.

They also contested IBB's choice to prolong his military regime's expiry date. However, they were freed after being given bail.

General Babangida has released "Journey in Service," a book detailing his political and military experiences to date.

He revealed several things in the book.

The annulment of the June 12 presidential election was one of the book's main themes.

He now claims that the late MKO Abiola won the free and fair election.

Ibrahim Babangida also expressed regret for not turning over control to a civilian administration by the deadline.

In an appearance on Channels Television's Politics Today on Tuesday, Falana stated that IBB had maliciously punished him primarily for these two reasons and vowed to go back to court.

He declared, "I'm going to contest my malicious prosecution and that of my colleagues."

Felana continued, "I've put together a team of lawyers, and they're looking into it," in reference to his desire to bring charges against General Babangida for an incident that occurred while he was the military head of state.

Since he now claims that Abiola won the election that served as the impetus for our protest, he has given it to life by acknowledging that there was no foundation for my prosecution, he stated.

He further claims that there was no justification for my prosecution because he shouldn't have delayed the end date of his transition program, which we were fighting for. It was malevolent.

"Huge violation of my human rights once more. Because you violate my right to liberty, freedom of movement, and the ability to choose my nation's leadership by keeping me in Kuje prison. The man who did has since publicly admitted that he made a mistake.