NOT too long ago, an international human rights watchdog, Amnesty International , in its report and video footage of the nation’s Armed Forces alleged that the Nigeria military is involved in “brutal” extra-judicial killings in the North-Eeastern part of the country.
ONLY last week, the group came up with yet another allegation that the Nigeria Army prosecuting military campaign against the insurgency have killed over 1,500 civilians in the north eastern parts of the country, where the activities of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, have been overwhelming.
THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER believes in the aphorism that two wrongs can’t make a right and as such calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to give the report the needed attention by instituting a high powered probe to ensure that Nigeria is not shielding right violators in its military.
This measure is important because of the hasty dismissal of the report by some top government officials who ought to be more diplomatic in responding to the report because such early dismissal of the report is capable of damaging the nation’s image among the comity of nations. The Coordinator, National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri at a news conference in Abuja same day absolved the military of human rights abuses, saying the Nigerian Army was not involved in the alleged killing of the Boko Haram detainees as reported by Amnesty International. He went ahead to describe the Nigerian Army as a professional security force which would not get involved in such “dastardly act.”
THE Army spokesperson, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade last week dismissed the recent Amnesty International report again and said the report was not consistent with “actual situation on ground” and that it would investigate Amnesty International’s allegations.
THE soldiers involved in the brutal extra-judicial execution of victims, either suspects or not do not have such rights under the Nigerian constitution. Nobody, under the Nigerian Constitution has the rights to undertake extra-judicial killing(s) or rights violation.
THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER views authorities’ comments as patronising and expected trademark of the usual government’s grandstanding in the face of obvious evidence.
We expected the federal government to be more circumspect and diplomatic in its choice of words since Chris Olukolade did not carry out any immediate investigations to determine the veracity of the allegations. A situation where ordinary Nigerian citizens come up with clear cases of rights violation and the state sweeps it under the carpet, international organisations come up with their accusation and is also swept under the carpet, may be creating a fertile ground for citizens to device unconventional means to express their disgust.
THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER recalls that the escalation of the Boko Haram insurgency stems from extra-judicial execution of the leader of the outlawed group in police custody. Part of the demands of the extremists that infuriated their later actions was the demand for justice for their slain member. Till date, there is no action from the Federal Government to show that justice has been delivered to Yusuf, even in his grave. So, dismissing by a wave of the hand a report with weighty allegations of international magnitude is quite deluding.
WE believe the Nigerian government cannot allow security agencies to commit war crimes against its own people and expect civilized nations to tolerate these same crimes being perpetrated by the state and then provide the help needed to win the war against terrorism. We strongly believe that it is self -defeating and uncivilized. This is why the government must thoroughly and independently probe the Amnesty International reports and take action against security operatives that are implicated in them, irrespective of their ranks.
THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER strongly believes that to assist the nation’s armed forces and prevent further occurrence, President Muhammadu Buhari must raise a strong panel of inquiry to investigate the allegations of war crimes as shown in the video footage, otherwise the atrocities may be taken as official position and the President stands the risk of being accused of war crimes and crime against humanity.
IT is equally important to call on the military to prosecute the current war against terrorism in Northern Nigeria with sufficient respect for human rights. This is direly needed to enjoy the confidence of the international community in its campaign against terrorism.
FINALLY, we also want to call on Amnesty International to also extend its work to the Boko Haram camps and reveal to the world the butchery, slaughtering of their captives so that global citizens could take them more seriously. Releasing a one-sided report in a war that has revealed several extra-judicial killings in most bizzare manner by the insurgents is inappropriate and capable of tarnishing the global human right’s watchdog’s image.
