The Coalition for Nigeria Movement led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo has blasted the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for imposing a travel ban on 50 Nigerians.

The federal government on Saturday banned 50 Nigerians from traveling abroad over corruption cases.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said Buhari had mandated the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice to implement the Executive Order 6 in full force.

He wrote: “To this end, a number of enforcement procedures are currently in place by which the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agencies have placed no fewer than 50 high profile persons directly affected by EO6 on watch-list and restricted them from leaving the county pending the determination of their cases.

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“Also, the financial transactions of these persons of interest are being monitored by the relevant agencies to ensure that the assets are not dissipated and such persons do not interfere with, nor howsoever corrupt the investigation and litigation processes.”

Reacting to the ban which has generated reactions, CNM in a statement by its Director, Strategic communications, Akin Osuntokun, on Sunday described the ban as a subversion of the rule of law, reminiscent of military decrees.

The CNM disclosed that the new executive order was an attempt to muzzle the opposition, adding that Buhari had been planning to use security agencies to achieve a hidden agenda.

The statement read in part, “Recall that journalists were jailed on account of a similar decree that criminalised any reporting that embarrassed his government. Against this background, what the Executive Order 6 portends is a significant step towards the creation of a police state.

“It is also against this background that the personalisation of the national security architecture makes sense.

“Otherwise there would have been no need to continue to reinforce the lopsided and parochial subversion and subordination of the security agencies to a personality cult agenda, at every available opportunity.”