AI accuses President Buhari of oppression, intimidation, disregard for rule of law

NOVEMBER 22, 2019 | THE BIAFRA TIMES

By Fikayo Olowolagba

Amnesty International has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of employing security agents and the judiciary to persecute Nigerians.

The global human rights organization said this while condemning the detention of Omoyele Sowore at Department of State Services, DSS.

The secret police who have refused to release Omoyele Sowore, convener of the Revolution Now Movement, had a few days claimed he may be knocked down by a vehicle if released to protesters demanding his freedom.

DSS had reiterated that it would only release Sowore to his sureties.

Amnesty international in a post on its verified Twitter page on Thursday said that the charges and trial of Sowore has exposed the ‘inadequacies and bizarre manipulation of the Nigerian criminal justice system’

The rights group further called on Buhari to respect human rights of Nigerians and stop using the judiciary as a tool to abuse Nigerians with dissenting opinions.

The post read: “President Muhammadu Buhari must stop using the security agents and judiciary as a tool for persecuting people who voice dissenting opinions, challenge abuse and call for accountability.

“The flawed charges and sham trials of Sowore, Jalingo and Bakare expose the inadequacies and bizarre manipulation of the Nigerian criminal justice system and an unacceptable contempt for the rule of law and human rights.”


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Investigate Attack by Nigerian Police Ndiegoro on Abia Community, AI Urged Authorities

12 October 2019 | The Biafra Times

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL NIGERIA PRESS RELEASE

The Nigerian authorities must investigate the burning of nine (9) buildings and arrest of dozens of men and women by the police in Ndiegoro, a community in Aba South local government, Abia state, says Amnesty International Nigeria.

At least 9 buildings were burnt and 50 men and women arrested over 4-days; when policemen besieged the community between 26 September to 1 October 2019 in retaliation for the killing of a police officer and a police driver in the area.

Witnesses told Amnesty International that on Thursday 26th September 2019, a police officer attached to the Cameroun Barracks (Ndiegoro) police station and a civilian driver were killed by assailants, at a police checkpoint in Ama Nmonwu area of Aba.  Scores of policemen returned to Ndiegoro later in the evening without warrant and arrested over 50 residents including children. The indiscriminate arrests continued till Tuesday 1 October 2019 when the police returned with about 12 Hilux vehicles and randomly set at least 9 buildings and shops on fire.

“We condemn the killing of policemen and demand that every lawful effort be made to bring the perpetrators to justice, but it is essential that both Nigerian law and international human rights laws are respected. Police have a duty to maintain public order, and in doing so they may use force only where strictly necessary. If the use of force is unavoidable, it must be done with restraint,” said Osai Ojigho Director Amnesty International Nigeria

READ ALSO: Horror: Nigerian Army and Police Burning down Houses in Aba

“Authorities must take immediate steps to identify those responsible for the murder of the policeman and the police-civilian driver and the officers who ordered or took part in unlawful reprisal on the community. All those suspected to be responsible for criminal offences should be promptly and fairly brought to justice, tried before an independent and impartial court and without recourse to the death penalty.”

When contacted by Amnesty International, Abia state police command denied setting homes and shops on fire but confirmed that they arrested 31 people, including 4 women whom they described as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members. Those arrested were also charged for murder, terrorism and arson.

HOUSES LOOTED AND BURNT
Testimonies from victims and eyewitnesses confirmed that police looted houses and burnt buildings.
 Video footage and photos filmed at the site and reviewed by Amnesty International showed houses ransacked and burnt.

The Abia State Civil Society Network (ACSON) said they documented a total of 9 razed buildings, including three buildings set ablaze by the police along Anaba Street. Six other buildings were also burnt in Degema/Oko-jumbo street. A restaurant was looted in Ibere Street on 1 October 2019.

BACKGROUND
Amnesty International has documented several instances when law enforcement officers attack communities in response to the killing of their personnel.
On 15 February 2008, police officers invaded Ogaminana community, a settlement in the Adavi Local Government Area, in Kogi state killing at least 15 people and burning scores of buildings.

The Nigerian Senate set up a panel to investigate the incident, but nobody was brought to account of the killings till date.

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Amnesty Programme: Ex-militants laments neglect after surrendering, threatens to resume hostilities ahead of 2019 elections

•Says instead of fulfilling agreed promises, government deployed soldiers to the region to wreck havoc

By Chukwuemeka Chimerue, Chief Editor | The Biafra Times

October 7, 2018

DELTA — Ex-militants cutting across Ogun, Lagos, Ondo and other ‘Niger Delta States’ led by one Gen. Ogailo Iborry, have lamented their neglect by the government after been deceived into surrendering their arms and been coerced into accepting to benefit from the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

According to the ex-militants, “the federal government, through the Deputy Governor of Ondo State Agboola Ajayi, who was the Chairman of the State Amnesty Committee, together with representatives of the Delta State Government, Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operation Base, Igbokoda, Navy Captain Usman Yahaya were all witnesses of the handover ceremony last year.

“The promises made by the federal government included enlisting them into the Amnesty programme, provision of a College of Education, bridge, water system toilets, network facilities, and pipe borne water to the community, payment of stipends and release of over two hundred young men who are citizens of this great nation as well as pipeline and oil facilities surveillance jobs.

“From that time after the release of the arms up till the present day, the government has neglected, refused and/or omitted to fulfil any of the promises including the release of these men who are awaiting trial in various detention centres.”

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Furthermore, the ex-militants stated that “instead of fulfilling their promises, the government deployed soldiers to the region to wreck havoc. This has led to an outcry amongst the people and these men are now being forced to return to arms.

“We state categorically that the deputy governor of Ondo State and Chairman of the State Amnesty Committee, Mr. Agboola Ajayi has since the willing submission of arms not made direct contact with any of us or even picked any of our calls to him.

“We reiterate further that if the federal or state government has released any funds towards meeting their promises, none of the funds whatsoever has been released to any one of us, neither has any information regarding this been communicated to us particularly as we have been reliably informed that the names of these ex militants have been replaced by pseudo names on the Amnesty Programme list.”

The aggrieved ex-militants asked: “By neglecting to fulfil their promise, are the federal and state governments portraying to us that they prefer unrest to the peace presently being experienced in the Niger Delta region and the nation at large?

“Are they saying that the unrest is better for the economic and political development of the country considering that the country is at the brink of an election year?

“Are the federal and state government aware that a return to arms will not augur well for the political climate of the Niger Delta region and the nation at large? Are they aware of how this renege of its promises places the country in the international community?”

Read Also: Proscription of Ohanaeze, S’East Govs, a vote of no confidence by Biafrans

The petitioners added: “We dropped our arms because of our faith in the Gen. Muhammadu Buhari led administration. We also use this opportunity to declare our continued trust that the President being a man of integrity will ensure that the promises made to us are kept.

“We call on their Excellencies Governors Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Seriake Henry Dickson of Bayelsa State and Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa of Delta State as well as their deputies and all other well meaning governors in the country to partner with the federal government to facilitate the fulfillment of the above promises in order to avoid the dire consequences that may be the resultant effect of a return to arms in the region.

“We also call on international bodies like the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and PANDEF which is a National body to employ all modalities in ensuring that the federal and state governments fulfill their promises to us.”

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