Nigeria – A Country with a Government in Constant Denial of Facts: Amidst Overwhelming Evidence, Buh

Photo Credit: www.nigeriapolicewatch.com (depicting a case of Police brutality)

For more than 50 years today Amnesty International, AI, has devoted itself to investigating and reporting fundamental human right abuses, wherever and whenever it happens. They lobby governments and powerful companies objectively, making sure promises are kept and international law reigns supreme. Their cause is noble and selfless; because of what they do, they have been accused by a fair amount of non-western countries of ideological bias, asserting that AI reports are one-sided. Nigeria under the current administration of President Buhari has joined the list of accusers.

It would please you and Buhari’s administration to note that reports on extrajudicial killings in Nigeria haven’t only been reported by AI. Newspaper reports, TV headlines and radio broadcast have constant reports on these killings, except, the administration gets information and news from other sources unknown to the people of Nigeria, or that the news being recurring has made them acquiesce to the reality of it being a norm and now feels absurd to change it.

The vanguard reported in June 2016 an ECOWAS court decision fining the state of Nigeria of $3.3 million over the extrajudicial killings of eight citizens in Apo District of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory. These eight Nigerians were killed when Department of State Security, DSS, forces fired at them while raiding an uncompleted building in the district. It was later found out that these individuals lived there because of the rising rents in Abuja. AI carried a report of the shootings before it was taken to court by a Non-Governmental Organization, NGO, The Incorporated Trustees of Fiscal and Civil Right Enlightenment Foundation.

AI and other news outlets reported on the extrajudicial killings of IPOB supporters of Nnamdi Kanu (the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB), as they went on the streets celebrating his release from detention on the 17th of December 2015. Scores of people were killed on the spot by a group of soldiers. Between 29-30 May 2016 the Nigerian Military opened fire on the supporters of IPOB and bystanders in Onitsha, Anambra state. AI wasn’t the only organization to report on this incident. Reports from Premium Times, tell that a whooping 40 people were killed on the spot and more than 50 people were injured. The Nigerian military reacted with a statement claiming their action was in self defense, but most corpses carried back injuries from bullets indicating a sign of fleeing.

In June of 2015, The Vanguard and other news outlets carried reports of President Buhari of Nigeria (former military dictator), stating that he has promised to carry out investigations on the reports of AI. From current evidence and facts he has either not carried out the report, or his investigations were misguided. If it happens that he has any information of current happenings and remains as dormant as he is now, then the change he spoke about during campaign was surely for the worst.

Hundreds to thousands of Nigerians have faced and continue to experience abuse, molestation, unlawful arrests, torture and death in the hands of the Nigerian Military and Police. At the same time, many Nigerians have also accused Buhari of deliberate inaction against extrajudicial killings by the Nigerian Military and Police.

References:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/06/ecowas-court-fines-nigeria-3-3m-extra-judicial-killings/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/06/nigeria-killing-of-unarmed-pro-biafra-supporters-by-military-must-be-urgently-investigated/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/who-we-are/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/about-us/how-were-run/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Amnesty_International

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/investigationspecial-reports/204902-special-report-inside-massive-extrajudicial-killings-nigerias-south-east.html

https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/africa/nigeria/report-nigeria/

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Ernie J. Burgher is a bi-lingual freelance journalist and author, and speaks English and French. Ernie writes for SitiTalkBlog.

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