AI report: Protesters storm UN office, petition Ban

A coalition of civil society organisations on Monday stormed the headquarters of the United Nations Organisation, located at No. 19, T.Y. Danjuma Street, Asokoro, Abuja, to protest against what they described as 'the conspiracy of Amnesty International against Nigerian military.'

The protesters, under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Groups, dropped a petition with an official in the UN office for onward transmission to the agency's Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon.

Some of the placards carried by the protesters had inscriptions such as, 'AI should condemn activities of Boko Haram and not the Nigerian military', 'AI's report is political, it's an act of international conspiracy'; 'UN, please call AI to order, don't okay politics with terrorism'; 'Yes to Nigerian military, no to AI's report'; and 'Reports don't win war, our gallant soldiers win war, let's support them'.

The President of COSG, Mr. Etuk Williams, said the International Criminal Court in The Hagues, Netherlands, should not act on the report of AI because it was 'laced with western propaganda and conspiracy.'

The AI's African Director (Research and Advocacy), Mr. Netsanet Belay; and Senior Director of Research, Ms. Anna Neistat, had in its recent report entitled, 'Stars on their shoulders, Blood on their hands: War crimes committed by the Nigerian military,' called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put in place a mechanism that would ensure a 'prompt, independent and effective investigation' of former and serving service chiefs for their roles in alleged war crimes committed between March 2011 and 2014.

The AI had said the alleged war crimes were perpetrated during the fight against the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in the North East. It said 8,000 persons were 'murdered, starved, suffocated and tortured to death.'

The agency had named former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (retd); former Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim (retd); Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, and Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, as those that should be investigated and tried by the Federal Government.

Others include Maj.Gen. John A.H. Ewansiha, Maj.Gen. Obida Ethnan, Gen. Ahmadu Mohammed, Brig.Gen. Austin Edokpayi and Brig.Gen. Rufus Bamigboye.

But Williiams faulted the AI's report, saying it was sponsored to denigrate the Nigerian military.

He said, 'We are protesting against the report of AI, which is at present in the ICC office. We see the report as international conspiracy. We are calling on them to withdraw their petition before the ICC with immediate effect. We civil society organisations have our people on ground. Our people carried an independent assessment and report, which recommended that Nigerian military should be commended and not condemned.

'We are therefore surprised that AI has not given a typical instance of war crime in Nigeria, compared with the case in Syria and Iraq. Yet, AI has not indicted the US military for the war crimes perpetrated in these countries.

'We have decided to occupy the UN office to show our disappointment with the AI's report. We have submitted a petition to show our disappointment and call on them to withdraw the petition in ICC with immediate effect.'

According to him, AI should condemn the activities of Boko Haram and call for the trial of its members 'rather than the brave military officers that have helped to reclaim lost territories and rescued thousands of women and children from the den of the dreaded sect.'

Also, the President of the Network of Young Female Leaders of ECOWAS Community, Amb. Charity Ahunsimere, said the Nigerian military deserved accolades for their gallantry in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorists.

She said, 'We were against the military in the first place, but they said there was no weapon. AI has no right to interfere in our internal affairs. We are saying no to AI's international conspiracy. Women have suffered; Nigerians hardly interfere in the internal activities of the West.

'We needed help from other countries, including the United States, but we didn't get. Our children were dying and became homeless. But at the end of the day, the military liberated them. The report of AI suggests that they are supporting Boko Haram. The allegation is malicious and inhuman and based on these facts, the ICC must not take the report serious.' Agency report