SERAP asks UN to stop Nigerian soldiers execution

By -
A leading Nigerian human rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has asked the United Nations rapporteurs to help try to stop the mass executions of soldiers sentenced to death by firing squad for refusing to fight Islamic militants.
Fifty-four troops received death sentences last week, 12 were condemned in September and 45 more soldiers, including a few officers, await their fate in ongoing courts-martial.
SERAP, said Wednesday the courts-martial held in secret were "a mockery of justice" and ignored issues raised by the condemned men that "suggest lack of transparency, accountability and general deficiencies" in the handling of the security budget and arms purchases.
Executive Director of SERAP, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni said they had appealed for an intervention from five special U.N. rapporteurs who deal with arbitrary executions, cruel punishment, promotion of truth and justice and protection of human rights while countering terrorism.
"It is not right or fair to try everyone in mass proceedings, and that such an unfair trial should send someone to the gallows," Mumuni said in a statement. He said the mass death sentences breach the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which limit the circumstances in which a state can impose the death penalty.
Defense attorney Femi Falana has charged the group of 54 was convicted because they embarrassed Nigeria's military by demanding weapons to fight extremists. He also said the soldiers were justified in not going on what he said would have been a suicidal mission.
Nigerian soldiers have complained to The Associated Press that the country's home-grown Boko Haram insurgents are better equipped than they, that officers steal some of their salaries, and that some soldiers are colluding with the extremists.
This week the former chief of army staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, filed a lawsuit against Australian hostage negotiator, Stephen Davis for naming him among alleged sponsors of Boko Haram. Ihejirika is demanding N100 billion (about $555 million) in aggravated damages. Davis could not immediately be reached for comment.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UBTH @50: Obaseki hails institution’s role in strengthening Edo healthcare

By -
Image
(Nigeria) Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has commended the staff and management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, for their unwavering commitment, dedication, and hard work in providing high-quality healthcare services to the people of Edo State and Nigeria in the past fifty years. Obaseki, at a dinner organized in honour of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Nigeria, at the Government House, Benin City, reassured the government’s continuous partnership and collaboration with the federal government-owned health institution to strengthen the health system and ensure quality health delivery to Edo people. The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu, reeled out the gains of the government’s reforms in the health sector, commending the medical centre for bolstering the government’s efforts at transforming Edo State into a health hub. He said, "We came into a wilderness where you have to cut a part for yourself and fix it. We held
Read more

NBC has no powers to impose fine on broadcast stations --Court

By -
Image
(Nigeria) The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has been restrained by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, from imposing fines on broadcast stations in the country. Trial judge in the matter, Justice James Omotosho also set aside the N500,000 fines imposed on March 1, 2019, on each of 45 broadcast stations. The court made the orders in its judgment a suit by the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda, MRA, which had sued the NBC. Justice Omotosho held that the NBC, not being a court of law, had no power to impose sanctions as punishment on broadcast stations. The court further held that the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which gives the commission the power to impose sanction, is in conflict with Section 6 of the Constitution that vested judicial power in the court of law. He said the court would not sit idle and watch a body imposing fine arbitrarily without recourse to the law. He said that the commission did not comply with the law when it sat as a complainant and at
Read more