Extra-Judicial Killings In Aba, Human Rights Activists Raise Alarm, Petition The IGP And The National Human Rights Commission
An Abia State Based Human Rights Activists under the Aegis of Abia Human Rights Agenda numbering Over Fifty Organizations has condemned the increasing trend of extra judicial killings in Aba.
Addressing newsmen in Aba, the Spokespersons of the group Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor of Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD) & comrade Innocent Anozie Nwokocha of Society for Economic Rights & Social Justice (SERSJ describe the Acts as barbaric, wicked and the apex of Human Rights Violations by the State actors, asserting that the murder of unarmed citizens is a heinous crime against God and Humanity.
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 these grand scale impunity.
SIGNED;
Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor
Executive Director
Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD)
Comrade Innocent Anozie Nwokocha
Society for Economic Rights & Social Justice (SERSJ)
Comrade David Anyaele
Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) and Many others.