Rights group petition IG over Aba extra-judicial killings
(Nigeria) An Abia State based human rights activists under
the aegis of Abia Human Rights Agenda numbering over 50 organisations has condemned the increasing trend of extra
judicial killings in Aba.
Addressing newsmen in Aba, the spokespersons of the group, Nelson
Nwafor of Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, FENRAD
and Innocent Nwokocha of Society for Economic Rights and Social Justice, SERSJ,
describe the acts as barbaric, wicked and the apex of human rights violations
by the State actors, saying that the murder of unarmed citizens was a heinous
crime against God and humanity.
They said, “Why have we swept many cases of extra judicial
killings by armed security operatives under the filthy carpets of national
impunity? The extra legal executions by soldiers and police are becoming too
difficult to document because these gruesome killings happened almost on
monthly basis in Aba, Abia State. What is the institutional response of the
Nigerian military and police hierarchy to surely put an end to this impunity
which has graphically depicted the institution of the Nigerian Military and
police as being backward, primitive and savagery? What is the synergy between the military
institutions and Nigeria’s main Human rights monitors (National Human Rights
Commission)?
“With the enforcement of the enhanced legislative powers of
the Nigerian National Human Rights Commission, we are aware that the agency
enjoys similar powers of summons just like a high court of a state which
constitutionally adjudicate and reach binding decisions of the breaches of the
fundamental and constitutional human rights of the citizenry but not much has been
done to bring mass murderers in Army and police uniforms to successful
prosecution and punishment.
These impunity smacks of lack of respect for our national
laws and sadly political leaders continue to disrespect national institutions.
The Constitution in the very beginning identifies the Nigerian people as the
rightful owners of the Sovereignty of Nigeria and also clearly gives the people
the ownership of the legitimacy and authority which the people democratically
should donate on regular basis and at intervals during peaceful, transparent,
free and fair electoral contest to Nigerians who campaign and seek their
mandate to assume political leadership positions for a specific period of time.
“Why do the political and military classes treat everyday
Nigerian as a nonentity and why is there no national outcry on the side of the
oppressed people of Abia state and Nigeria? Why are the people of Abia state so
tolerant of these brutal forces which are crudely deployed and employed by
soldiers and police to chastise, intimidate, harass, maim and slaughter Abians?
Why will the Army and the police turn their weapons against the same people
that they are recruited, trained and maintained to protect?
“Why will this sort of crime against humanity continue and
what is the authority going to do or already doing to bring the perpetrators to
trial and punishment? Will these crimes of mass murders go unpunished like many
others and will the National Human Rights Commission simply resign to fate
hoping that the families of the victims will accept what has been imposed on
their families which are wailing and lamentations visited on them by the
despicable and atrocious criminal acts of state cannibalism?
“On our part, we are already compiling evidence of these
killings for further international advocacy actions should the concerned
Authorities feel comfortable to let the sleeping dogs lie even when these so
called sleeping dogs are in form of the members of the Nigerian Army and police
who have collectively murdered sleep.
“It could recalled that on July 2015, a team of NDELA
Officers open fire on unarmed traders in Ariaria international Market in the
guise of arresting drug peddlers. Many lives were lost and scores of injuries
sustained by the traders, yet the matter is been swept under the carpet.
“In December 2015 A group under the Umbrella of Aba Urban
Renewal with the State Vigilante group attacked traders at School Road Market,
Aba in which traders sustained injuries in a bid to relocate them to the new
site.
“In the same year 2015 at Opobo Junction Ogbor Hill,Aba a
police officer beat a keke operator to a stupor over disagreement and the
victim was reported dead after due to the injuries sustained from the
maltreatment.
“This January 2016 at the Same Opobo Junction Ogbor Hill,
Aba a Policeman shot a young man to death over disagreement.
“Recently (this January 2016), a group of armed soldiers and
policemen in the bid to enforce the ban on public procession and rallies by the
Abia state Government used live bullets against IPOB unarmed members who were
protesting the continued detention of their leader (Nnamdi Kanu) by the Federal
Government in which few defenseless citizens were shot dead, while many
sustained various degrees of injuries due to maltreatment and dehumanizing attitude
of the security agents in the guise of clamping down the protesters.
“We hereby call on the Chief of Army Staff, Major General
Tukur Buratai and the Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase to order the
immediate arrest and prosecution of those operatives who gunned down innocent
citizens of Aba and many others in the state who have been a victim of extra
judicial killings.
“We call on the National Human Rights Commission to
institute a transparent public hearing even in camera especially for the purposes
of witnesses protection so that perpetrators of these mass killings in ABA Abia
State who are still armed and dangerous are fished out, disarmed, debriefed,
prosecuted and sanctioned according to the laws of Nigeria which absolutely
prohibits murder with the maximum punishment of death penalty for convicted
offenders.
“As promised on oath by the President, please let no single
Nigerian life be wasted and let those who turn their weapons bought with the
resources of all Nigerians to kill the same Nigerians whom they should protect
be not allowed to go scot free.
“Since they have discharged their bullets illegally and
ended the precious lives of some Abians and Nigerians in general, they deserve
no less the same punishment to serve as strong deterrent to would- be trigger
happy military or police elements in all parts of the country.
“We assure the Inspector General of Police Mr Solomon Arase
and the Chief of Army Staff Major General Tukur Buratai that if those killers
go scot-free, we will be prepared for the gale of international civil rights
advocacy that would logically follow consequences and ultimately their
prosecution before the International Criminal Court in The Hague Netherlands
for failing to stop crimes against humanity.
“We also call on President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly order
the investigation of these dastardly massacres of traders in ABA by some
security agencies and should show his commitment to the enforcement of the
principle and practice of rule of law by ensuring that those soldiers and
police who killed Aba traders are fished out, prosecuted actively and punished
sternly. President Buhari’s action or inaction in unraveling the perpetrators
of this Aba massacre will be a good response either/or in determining the
aforementioned conundrum. Enough of this grand scale impunity.”
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