Tag Archives: CSOs

Military operation in southeast will lead to more human rights abuses, CSOs warn FG

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A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has expressed shock at the deployment of soldiers to the southeast despite allegations of human rights violations against them.

On November 24, Amnesty International had released a report cataloguing violations including extra-judicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture, unlawful arrest and detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members and supporters by the military.

Owing to a seeming lack of action on the report, the groups called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately set up an independent panel to investigate the allegations.

“We are further particularly alarmed, that despite these chilling allegations, authorities at both federal and state levels of government have instead decided to further militarise the affected areas in the guise of ‘operation python dance’.

“While acknowledging the need for the protection of law and order across the country, we consider the recent announcement of increased deployment of military personnel to the south-east region as an unnecessary move that risks stoking further tensions within the communities,” a statement issued by the CSOs through Amnesty International, Nigeria, read.

“We also believe that the deployment of the military to police public gatherings across the country has directly contributed to the high numbers of casualties. In many recent incidents, including those documented in the Amnesty International report, the military seems to have chosen tactics designed to kill and neutralise an enemy. Many of the shootings were clearly outside any concept of public order management and amounted to extrajudicial executions.”

They also called on the government to immediately end the involvement of the military in public order operations throughout the country.

“Additionally, we are worried that military personnel assigned to this operation, will see it as a carte blanche for committing further human rights violations. The government’s decision to turn immediately to the military to control internal public order situations has seriously undermined the role of the Nigerian police and has led to unnecessary loss of lives.

“We therefore call on the authorities to ensure that they make public, the rules of engagement for this operation and take steps to prevent acts of human rights violations.”

“The governors of Abia, Anambra, Delta and Rivers states should set up judicial commissions of inquiry to investigate the allegations documented in Amnesty International’s report,” they added.

Some of the CSOs are Centre for Human Rights & Peace Advocacy,  Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and CLEEN Foundation.

Ondo guber: INEC was partial – CSOs

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Following the out of last Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State, the Coalition of Civil Society Groups has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying it was partial and played to the gallery during the exercise.

 

The group, which also condemned the electoral body for the wrong use of the Young Democratic Party (YDP) logo on the ballot papers supported the party’s position that it was robbed of votes.

 

This was contained in a statement by the civil society group review and assessment report of the Ondo State election signed by the its Vice President, North, Alhaji Sidi Ali.

 

The statement reads, “The Coalition of Civil Society Groups having reviewed the processes and activities prior to, during and immediately after the last Ondo governorship elections in Ondo State, hereby give our assessment of the process. Our position is informed by the reports of 30 Civil Society Organisations drawn from our membership that independently monitored the entire electioneering process.

 

“It was our observation that the INEC played to the gallery by involving certain political parties and interests more in the process than others. INEC which ought to have been neutral played to the media script of a supposed “three-horse-race” when in actual fact there were 27 duly registered national political parties in the race. INEC along those lines did the bidding of certain political interests by carrying on as if there were only 3contestants and hence their preparations and publicity of this election by implication exempted the others from the race at the expense of the so called bigger parties.

 

“If we are to deemphasise the influence of money from our politics, INECs actions and body language in that election has robbed Nigerians of confidence in a truly participatory democracy where the will of the masses is captured and articulated.

“The Coalition of Civil Society Groups fully supports the position of the Young Democratic Party that it was robbed of votes it had canvassed for at great expense of time, human and material resources through a very extensive campaign. We condemn the disregard that the electoral body has shown for the young men and women who came together to have their voice heard in that state.”

 

According to the group, the unilateral decision of INEC to substitute the logo of the YDP is travesty of justice and democracy that must not be swept under the carpet. INEC carelessly substituted a party emblem even after the party had campaigned and built their manifesto around the message of: the light has come. It is even more flummoxing to independent observers that INEC took this direction even after it had uploaded the current logo of the party on its website. That such a blunder could have been committed so soon after same happened in Edo reveals an emerging pattern and a predetermined script being played out and such clandestine agenda will be resisted vehemently by the people of Nigeria.

 

“We therefore call on INEC to redeem itself by retracing it’s steps and cancelling the entire sham it carried out in Ondo state in the name of an election to give all contestants a level playing field to test the popularity of their programmes. Nigeria cannot continue to be run like a commodity available for the highest bidder, we find ourselves lagging behind peer countries because of the harm done by these selfish elitist interests against the needs of the larger masses. We call on INEC to tender an unreserved apology to this fledgling political party and others so marginalised in the build up to Ondo election 2016.

 

“All Civil Society organisations, spread across the length and breadth of Nigeria that make up this Coalition, assure the masses that we will continue to defend their interests by demanding that government continues to work for them and that their voices are heard on issues that affect them.”

Senate urged to confirm Magu as EFCC’s substantive chairman

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Anti-corruption groups have called on the leadership of the Senate to expedite action on the confirmation of the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, so as to give the ongoing anti-corruption fight the impetus it desperately needs and help sustain the Buhari administration in curtailing impunity in governance.

This was stated in a statement collectively signed by Debo Adeniran, Coalition Againts Corrupt Leaders (CACOL); Lanre Suraju, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC); Adetokunbo Mumuni, Social-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); David Ugolor, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ); Okey Nwanguma, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN); Faith Nwadishi, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Nigeria and Oluajo Babatunde, Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA).

This latest call on the National Assembly reiterates an earlier call made by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, in August 2016 in the wake of delays in the confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of the EFCC.

The group, rising from the recently concluded National Conference on the Role of the Legislature in the Fight Against Corruption, organised by the National Assembly and the Presidency, noted that prior to the process leading to the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the Commission, the National Assembly went on recess.

“Interestingly, the Senate has since reconvened, screened and confirmed justices of Supreme Court and Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) forwarded to it long after the submission of Mr. Magu’s name for confirmation as EFCC’s chairman by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Section 2 of the EFCC Act says “there shall be a chairman who shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the commission, and who shall not be below the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of police. He is to be saddled with the responsibility of running the anti-crime commission. The groups verily believe that Mr. Magu, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, meets and exceeds this requirement, and therefore his confirmation as EFCC Chairman without further delay will give the anti-corruption fight the boost it needs to end the culture of impunity and systemic corruption in Nigeria”, representatives of the coalition stated in a release.