Int’l Inquiries Into State Aided Killings In Nigeria As A Missing Point In Gen Theo Danjuma’s Call
(Intersociety Nigeria: 26th March 2018)-The call made on Saturday, 24th
March 2018 by a former Army Chief and Defense Minister in Nigeria,
Retired Lt Gen Theo Danjuma to all Nigerians of non Muslim faith
particularly members of Christian faith in Northeast, North-central and
Southern parts of the country to defend themselves against the ongoing
widespread massacres across the country by radical armed Islamic groups
such as Islamist Fulani and Boko Haram killers.
Gen
Theo Danjuma also joined other informed and courageous Nigerians to
accuse the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the country’s security
establishments’ mangers of protecting the attackers particularly the
Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and aiding their atrocious conducts. We
therefore see his call as not only grossly belated but also incomplete
without addition of urgent steps by the United Nation System to set up
an international commission of inquiry under the Chapter VII of the
United Nations’ Charter so as to unravel the remote and immediate causes
and perpetrators as well as profiteers of the killings.
The
panic, hastiness, emptiness, tactlessness, self indictment and self
guilt contained in the reactions to the call by the duo of Nigerian Army
and the Federal Ministry of Defense further showcase necessity,
urgency, inexcusability and inevitability of the international inquiries
under demand.
We
make bold to say that the indictable body language of the present
Federal Government in the ongoing killings as well as emerging facts and
developments have clearly shown that the external demystification and
solution to the unabated and raging butcheries in Nigeria are
practically rooted in the confines of int’l criminal and civil inquiries
under UN System alongside other local content solutions. It is recalled
that we have earlier identified gross lopsided security and
paramilitary appointments and compositions as a major factor internally
responsible for intensification and escalation of the butcheries.
In
the time of the immediate past, such int’l inquiries under demand were
launched by the UN System in several countries where the fears or
eruption of “complex humanitarian emergencies” or grievous violations of
human rights or commission and aiding (by the State) of heinous crimes
against humanity by the governing States or violent pro government or
opposition groups were heightened or became
beyond the capacities of governing municipal territories; especially
where there were strong point-blank or circumstantial evidence of State
protection, aiding, conspiracy, condoning, abetment, complicity,
unwillingness and inability.
Instances
also abound where such inquiries were timely invoked or instituted;
leading to return of stability and collective security, justice and
mercy; truth, forgiveness and reconciliation to the former troubled
territories or societies. Where such were the case such as in Lebanon,
Pakistan and Darfur (Sudan), the affected countries were relatively
saved from drifting into total collapse or failed States. But where they
were belatedly invoked, pariah or failed State status became the end
result. We saw such in Libya, Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria;
collectively referred today as “the world’s failed States”.
Typical
example of such international inquiries and associated UN interventions
was in Lebanon after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic
Hariri and 21 others by suspected Iranian backed Lebanese Hezbollah
militias on 14th February 2005;
leading to setting up of the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Another
example was in Pakistan after the assassination of former Prime Minister
Ms Benazir Bhutto on 27th December 2007 and associated
political turmoil including riots. The assassination took place few
weeks to the country’s presidential election fixed for January 2008;
leading to UN enquiry set up on 5th February 2009.
Of particular and striking of all was the “UN Int’l Commission of Inquiry for Darfur (Sudan)”. Acting
under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, on 18 September 2004,
the Security Council of UN adopted resolution 1564 requesting that the
Secretary-General ‘rapidly establish an international commission of
inquiry’ in order immediately to investigate reports of violations of
international humanitarian law and human rights law in Darfur (Sudan) by
all parties including the strong accusation of complicity of the
Sudanese central Government of Gen Omar Hassan el-Bashir and its aiding
of the Janjaweed Islamist guerillas. Other terms of reference were to
determine whether or not acts of genocide have occurred, and to identify
the perpetrators of such violations with a view to ensuring that those
responsible are held accountable.
Based
on a thorough analysis of the information gathered in the course of its
investigations, the Commission established that the Government of the
Sudan and the Janjaweed are responsible for serious violations of
international human rights and humanitarian law amounting to crimes
under international law.
In
particular, the Commission found that Government forces and militias
conducted indiscriminate attacks, including killing of civilians,
torture, enforced disappearances, destruction of villages, rape and
other forms of sexual violence, pillaging and forced displacement,
throughout Darfur. These acts were conducted on a widespread and
systematic basis, and therefore amounted to crimes against humanity.
In
July 2008, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC),
Luis Moreno Ocampo, accused al-Bashir of genocide, crimes against
humanity, and war crimes in Darfur. The court issued an arrest warrant
for al-Bashir on 4 March 2009
on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but ruled that
there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him for genocide.
We
therefore join Gen Theophilus Danjuma by repeating our several warnings
to the likes of UN, AU and western democracies that Nigeria is steadily
drifting towards the Somali way. Gen Danjuma as one of the strongest
supporters of the present diarchic Administration in Nigeria and one of
perceived personalities responsible for Nigeria’s present political,
economic and social woes must have been shocked and traumatized by the
level of unprovoked attacks and killings perpetrated against members of
his Takum tribe and Christian faith alongside other non Muslim
nationalities of Northern and Southern Nigeria.
This,
also, must have been occasioned by the fact that no sane member of
human family keeps a sealed lip or mouth-gums himself or herself for
forever when his or her rights of existence, social identity and
religion are illegitimately questioned and subjected to serious threat
of extermination or annihilation; irrespective of his or her career,
political or economic attainment. Totality of them constitutes core and
non-tradable social values of human family and existence.
Nigerian
policy makers and managers particularly those presently holding
political and legislative positions at the Federal level must be
reminded again that in the event of full scale and provoked
uncontrollable civil warfare, AK-47 rifles and their likes being
paraded, wielded and rioted today by the aggressors will become the
least instruments of war. The serving and retired generals (apologists
and instigators of religious radicalism) instigating the attacks and
protecting the attackers today will end up in IDP or refugee camps as
refugees or IDP destitute. Instances abound in the Republics of Rwanda,
Burundi, Uganda and Zaire (DRC), etc of not long past.
In
modern theory of violence, therefore, there are no sole repositories or
possessors of same. In such provoked retaliatory civil war; animals,
ants, herbs, substances and human brains can be transformed into more
formidable and menacing instruments of retaliatory and victorious or
devastating civil warfare than AK-47 assault rifles and their likes.
This is the centrality of Gen Theo Danjuma’s message to the Federal
Government of Nigeria and its operators; warning them to act beyond
their present primordial and ethno-religious cleavages before it is too
late.
Gen
Danjuma’s call; though grossly belated, should not be treated
dismissively by all and sundry including the Government of Nigeria as it
is presently doing; the United Nations and the entire members of the
int’l community. Granted that it is strongly held in several social
quarters that Gen Theo Danjuma is one of the country’s ex public office
holders believed by many to be living far above his legitimate incomes
and of stupendous wealth unbecoming of a military pensioner; in addition
to his not-too-good roles during his career in the country’s military’s
inglorious epoch particularly in the 60s, but his latest call is a
welcome development and tantamount to that of wise words of an “Amicus Curiae from Military Citadel”.
In
matters bordering on commission or fears of commission or possibility
of commission of crimes against humanity or perpetration of widespread
human rights abuses; whipping or invocation of ethnic cleavages or
primordial sentiments in defense or protection of the perpetrators and
their atrocious conducts are set aside; on account of the fact that
human rights are indivisible and universal; transcending beyond
boundaries, tribes, classes, races and religions including territorial
State and Stateless societies.
Such
a strong worded voice from a former chief of army staff (October
1979-April 1980) and minister of defense (June 1999-May 2003) also
exposes undeniable and conspiratorial roles of members and headships of
the Nigerian Armed Forces and the entire security establishments in the
killings. It further demystifies the despicable and unpatriotic roles of
the present central Government especially its ongoing Nollywood Movies called counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.
Just
recently, Nigerian media was awash with breaking news of a character
called “Sergeant David Bako” who said he has deserted the Nigerian Army
and made a startling revelation of another Nollywood Movie called
“Dapchi Girls’ Abduction & their Return”; which he claimed to have
executed alongside other soldiers camouflaging as “Boko Haram
insurgents” at the cost of N80m presidential bribe; with his cuts being
N3m. Such is the continuation of drama unfolding in the country since
June 2015 in the so called “counter-insurgency operations in the
Northeast”.
We
hereby call on the United Nations and other members of the int’l
community to take urgent steps to save Nigeria from drifting into
“complex humanitarian emergencies” or widespread ethno-religious
killings and counter killings (civil war) occasioned by ongoing State
aided butcheries in the name of “reading Koran in the Sea”. Nigerians
will like to find out from the said UN inquiries the number of Nigerians
killed by the Fulani Jihadists since June 2015, their religious faith
and sacred places of worship and properties destroyed or torched. The
number of violent Fulani Herdsmen killed by retaliatory Nigerians since
then, if any, should also be unravelled by the UN’s int’l commission of
inquiry under demand.
The
roles of the Government of Nigeria and its security heads in the
ongoing butcheries by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen should also thoroughly be
investigated by the United Nations. The inquiries under demand should
inclusively investigate the ongoing strong accusations levelled against
the central Government in Nigeria of its aiding and abetting the
killings particularly its inability and unwillingness to protect the
victim populations; uncover the sources of sophisticated firearms used
by the Jihadists and fish out and put them on trial in accordance with
existing local and int’l laws.
The
roles of Government of Nigeria in its counter operations against Boko
Haram also call for international involvement and scrutiny so as to
ensure full compliance by the Government of Nigeria and the non State
violent actors involved with the international laws including the Geneva
Conventions or Laws of Internal Conflict of 1949 and the Int’l Human
Rights and Humanitarian Laws. Our
call for UN involvement through institution of criminal and civil
inquiries is in furtherance of the powers and mandates of the UN under
the Chapter VII of its Charter of 1945.
Signed:
For: Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi (Criminologist & Graduate of Security Studies)
Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Email: [email protected]
Barr Obianuju Joy Igboeli
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Program
Email: [email protected]
Barr Jacinta Ezinwanne
Head, Public Security & Safety Program
Email: [email protected]
Danjuma's call opens can of worms as Intersociety adds inquiries
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Sunday, March 25, 2018
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