NBA SEEKS AU'S INTERVENTION IN JOS CRISIS

By NBF News

THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has tasked the African Union (AU) as well as its respective organs to adopt the policy of creative and result oriented intervention to urgently address the recurring crisis in Jos. This was contained in a statement presented by the NBA yesterday during the public hearing of the on-going 48th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in Banjul, Gambia.

Olasupo Ati-John, who represented the NBA President on the occasion, said 'The non- interference policy to the internal affairs of the States of the AU may not be adequate in states where terrorism, abuse of human rights and citizenship dichotomy have become the attitudinal behaviour of a given state or community.'

While urging the AU to liaise with all the relevant prosecuting agencies in prosecuting all perpetrators of the domestic violence in Jos, Ati-John said: 'The principle of creative and result-oriented intervention being proposed by the NBA simply connotes the need for the AU or any other regional body's intervention to the repeated and continuous violence on member states.'

The NBA further suggested an independent investigation of the Jos crisis by the AU in partnership with non-governmental organizations as well as other professional bodies in Africa.

On ways of finding a permanent solution to the recurring ethno-religious criss in Jos and other parts of the country, the NBA recommended that full residency right should be given to all Nigerian citizens resident for at least ten years in a state.

In its own presentation, the Nigerian delegation to the one-week session led by Rita Njokanma, re-affirmed Nigeria's support for the work of the commission while urging all stakeholders to continue to support the commission in the overall interest of Africa.