(Intersociety & SBCHROs, Nigeria: 22nd
March 2017)-The leaderships of International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law
(Intersociety) and Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations
(SBCHROs) are deeply shocked and dismayed concerning the ongoing sponsored
attacks by the agents of the Federal Government of Nigeria against the Nigerian
Section of Amnesty International, using
hired street urchins and laptop based groups; claiming to be human rights
groups.
Recall that Amnesty International (AI) is a leading
rights group and internationally respected corporate body, based in the United
Kingdom and created by Peter Benenson and his associates in 1961. It operates
beyond borders and maintains its advocacy presence in the 193-Member States of
the United Nations and some 45 other non independent States and trusteeship
territories in matters of all human rights recognized under the United Nations
and African Union Systems, particularly as it concerns civil and political rights.
In Nigeria, civil and political rights
are made justiciable by Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. AI also maintains its internationally
respected and standardized advocacy presence and jurisdiction over the world’s
current 10million Stateless persons; 65.3million forcibly displaced persons and
21.3million refugees, totalling 96.6million persons (see UNHCR 2017).
Amnesty
International monitors, too, conflict environments involving inter and intra
State conflicts or armed conflicts within borders and armed conflicts beyond
borders and evaluates the compliance or otherwise of the parties or combatants
(government and its security forces and the armed opposition groups) with the
Geneva Conventions or Laws of War of 1949 and its Protocols as well as other
international rights and humanitarian laws and principles. In non war or non
conflict situations, Amnesty International monitors the policies and conducts
of government and its coercive agencies to ensure that they conform at all
times with local (constitutional), regional and international human rights
norms.
Amnesty International had
in the past years particularly in the 1990s maintained a Section (Nigerian Section) in Nigeria. It closed same due to unfriendly environment and
other unbearable factors. But barely two years ago, AI returned to Nigeria and opened its office which is located at
10A, Usuma Street, Maitama, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria. AI
had in recent times beamed its advocacy searchlight on Nigeria and in the last
two years, the internationally respected rights group had evaluated the present
Federal Government’s handling of lawful assemblies and religious processions; insurgency
and counter insurgency operations in the Northeast and handling of civilian
populations in conflict areas. Others areas evaluated are torture, unlawful killings, extra
judicial executions, enforced disappearances, unlawful arrests and detention
without trial and forced evictions, etc.
We are therefore
shocked and alarmed at the raging campaigns of calumny and State terror being
unleashed on the respected international rights group by the agents of the
present Federal Government of Nigeria headed by Retired Major Gen Muhammadu
Buhari. It is shocking too that the Government that parades professors of law
and highly ranked civil rights activists as its officials, supporters or
consultants can engage in this type of show of shame with its dire
international diplomatic and relations consequences.
The ongoing
State terror and campaigns of calumny against the authorities of Amnesty
International also expose the present Government’s gross illiteracy and
ignorance on the workings of modern international relations and diplomacy which
are strongly traditionalized in human rights and citizens’ sovereignty
without borders. They further expose same as highly intolerant
political leadership and gross and unrepentant rights abuser. The panicky
response of the Buhari Administration by sponsoring the ongoing attacks against
AI is a clear admission of guilt and un-readiness and unwillingness of same to
make amends over its grossly poor human rights abuses.
It is recalled
that this is not the first time under this Administration that such Yorean
campaigns of calumny and State terror are being launched against AI and its
likes. Some individuals and their groups had at one time or the other been
hired and ferried to UK to make watery counter representations against the
groups over its credible reports on Nigeria. There had been sponsored print and
electronic media interviews, adverts and programs all designed to malign and
lampoon AI over its credibly and well researched reports bordering on gross
rights abuses in Nigeria or any part thereof.
Apart from the
denial virus that hit the Federal Government of Nigeria and its
Nigerian Army following issuance of AI reports, leprous and nonexistent groups
like “Global Amnesty Watch” and “Global Peace & Rescue Initiatives (GOPRI)”
have also been created using laptops, all for the purpose of terrorizing AI
into fear and abandonment or recanting of its well researched reports. Hundreds
of educated and uneducated street urchins have also been recruited, hired and
commissioned to protest and picket the AI Nigerian office. Yet, the same
Government that has consistently shown its gross intolerance to peaceful
assemblies and democratic free speeches leading to its killing of over 1500 unarmed
and defenceless regional and religious activists, did not turn its same killer
arsenal against hired and sponsored anti AI protesters.
We call on the
present Federal Government of Nigeria under Retired Major Gen Muhammadu Buhari
to withdraw its hired and sponsored street urchins and their laptop created
groups off the Amnesty International office in Nigeria and stop any form of
threats and campaign of calumny against the world’s respected international
corporate personality. The Government must be reminded that it has an
inexcusable duty under Section 14 (2) (b) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution to
protect Amnesty International, its staff and personnel in Nigeria at all times.
Sponsoring and inciting hundreds of educated and uneducated street urchins against
the world’s respected rights body is a serious threat to international peace
and security and a clear attestation of its culpability in all gross rights
abuses the same Government is being accused of perpetrating. It further darkens
what remains of Nigeria’s image at regional and international levels.
Rather than
beating about the bush by involving itself in this type of infamy and show of
shame, the Buhari Administration must as a matter of inexcusability,
investigate all the gross rights abuses raised in the AI Reports as well as the
recent Special Report of Intersociety (Welcome To Bleeding Republic Of Nigeria:
A Land Flowing With Blood & Tears). All those involved in the gross rights
abuses must be fished out, dismissed from Service and prosecuted. Adequate
compensations to the tune of $5Billion must be set aside for the compensation
of identified group and individual victims of State crimes. Further State
killings and Nomad Fulani Jihadist killings such as the latest butchery in
Benue State must be halted and those responsible fished out and punished.
Signed:
For: International Society for Civil Liberties &
the Rule of Law (Intersociety)
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.intersociety-ng.org
Signed:
For: Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights
Organizations (SBCHROs)
1.
Comrade Aloysius Attah (+2348035090548)
For: Civil Liberties
Organization, Southeast Zone
2.
Comrade Peter Onyegiri (+2347036892777)
For: Centre for Human
Rights & Peace Advocacy
3.
Comrade Samuel Njoku (+2348039444628)
For: Human Rights
Organization of Nigeria
4.
Engineer Rufus Duru (+2348037513519)
For: Global Rights &
Development International
5.
Comrade Chike Umeh ( +2348064869601)
For: Society Advocacy
Watch Project
6.
Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq. (+2348034186332)
For: Anambra Human Rights
Forum
7.
Florence Akubilo, Esq. (+2349025567114)
For: Southeast Good
Governance Forum
8.
Jerry Chukwuokoro, PhD (+2348035372962)
For: International
Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights Initiative
9.
Comrade Vincent Ezekwume (+2348171793911)
For: Civil Liberties
Organization, Anambra State Branch
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