Amnesty International report another conspiracy with political actors to instigate crisis ahead of 2019, group alleges
The Amnesty International has continued to receive knocks over its misleading report tagged “Harvest of Death Three Years of Bloody Clashes between Farmers and Herders in Nigeria.
The London-based organization which focuses on human rights wasn’t sparred by Nigerians who have lashed out at the group over its latest episode of fallacy.
In President Muhammadu Buhari’s words, “it is geared towards damaging the morale of the Nigerian military.”
It is therefore on this ground that the Middlebelt Conscience Guard has acted, accusing the international organization’s report as “an agglomeration of series of events that have been reported, discussed, analyzed and acted upon by Nigerians and their leaders.”
Prince Onoja Ugwu, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the group raised this alarm on Tuesday in a press release in Abuja.
According to Mr Ugwu, AI is only acting the script of its sponsors who appears hell bent on undermining the remarkable gains of the Nigerian Army and peace of the country.
“The Nigerian Military made progress in dealing with the Boko Haram problem the moment the farmers/herders’ crisis was brought under control; since they do not have to contend with multiple deployments they are able to concentrate resources in countering the terrorists. Should this international NGO succeed in provoking fresh attacks with its report, the military will again be deployed to the affected hotspots, only that this time around the reprisals will be simultaneous across the country. This would stretch the military thin and give room for all security challenges in the country to fester, “ he stated.
“The report mischievously accuse the government and the military of not doing enough to protect people from being attacked and killed. It went on to add the fiction that response time is often slow and could take days. But the reality is that this same Amnesty International will accuse troops of war crime in situation when they are able to engage the killers in gun battle – they accuse the military of killing civilians when the killers get killed. This scenario is as confusing as it is harebrained. One minute it is the military is not doing anything, the next minute it is that the military has used excessive force.
“It is therefore apparent that the Amnesty International report has no connection with improving conditions of human rights in Nigeria. Rather, it appears aimed at:
“ Provide negative campaign material for the opposition, whose members are known to have severally been in contact with INEC staffers.
“Discredit the Nigerian Military as capable of securing the country when this same military has performed superlatively in the face of arms sales blockades motivated by Amnesty International.
“Re-ignite the farmers/herders’ clashes after several months of lull that is being explored to rebuild trust and relationship by the country.
“Create a failed nation where Amnesty International can sit back in the armchair to continue writing fictitious reports about “dire living conditions”.
“Bearing the foregoing in mind, we call on the international community to note the evil being perpetrated by Amnesty international in Nigeria. The world should note that the group is actively manufacturing dissent and crises that it is launching in Nigerian to the detriment of the rights of citizens here.
“What Amnesty International has done is worse than the actual farmers/herders’ crisis, which is to cause the warring parties to resume hostilities and escalate the killings. We have genuine concerns that people will resume murdering each other in response to the Amnesty International’s report. It is on this note that we categorically state that we shall hold Amnesty International responsible for any resumption of the farmers/herders’ crisis same as we will hold it liable for any reprisal that takes place in the aftermath of the publication.
“We warn that Amnesty International should immediately mitigate the crisis it has instigated failing which we shall activate citizens’ action against it within the limits permissible in the law. We will not watch helplessly while they destroy our country and run back to enjoy the blood money they have been paid to cause damage to Nigeria.
“We have accepted that Amnesty International is the latest terrorist group operating in Nigeria, harassing the government and law abiding citizens with its contrived crises. Let this international NGO know that Nigerians are not helpless when it comes to dealing with its excesses.”
Visit Theatre of War to Verify How Budget Was Spent, CESJET Challenges SERAP, EiE, BudgIT
Following ceaseless bickering over unsubstantiated facts on budget from certain organisations, renowned civil society group, Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has backed the Nigerian Army.
The group has questioned the likes of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Enough is Enough (EiE), and BudgIT who raised false alarm over the Army’s budget implementation in the last three years.
According to CESJET, these groups have no moral right to enquire into the military’s activities, especially as they are known to be sponsored by external fraternisation to destabilise the progress.
This was made known by Barrister Gbemisola Osaloni it’s Executive Director, in a press conference on Tuesday in Lagos.
Instead of indulge in falsehood CESJET, however, advised these group to visit the Theatre of Operations to get the needed information.
“ The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET), a civil society organisation at the vanguard for social justice and transparency in Nigeria, herby condemn in its totality the questionable call for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 budget implementation reports of the Nigeria Army by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Enough is Enough (EiE), and BudgIT,” Gbemisola quiered.
“CESJET as a first frowns at such a request coming from groups that are known for external fraternisation in the funding of their activities.
“ CESJET wishes to use this medium to inform the members of the unsuspecting public that the trio of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Enough is Enough and BudgIT might be carrying out a script from their oversees donors that have continually funded their operations, but hiding under the umbrella of advocates for transparency and good governance.
“In the years that civil society organisations crisscrossed North East Nigeria to demand better welfare for troops and as well as demand for transparency in the operations of the Nigeria Army, SERAP, EiE and BudgIT distanced themselves from such activities. Instead, they rely on desk research and hearsays when issuing statements.
“ CESJET also wishes to use this medium to challenge SERAP, EiE and BudgIT to undertake a trip to the Theatre of Operations to get the needed information as this would constitute a primary source of information.
“CESJET rejects the destabilizing moves by these organisations that know little or nothing about military operations in warfare. So to demand for budget implementation reports is not only an act of ignorance, but an attempt to cause a distraction which is most uncharitable in timing and intent.
“The likes of SERAP and BudgIT get their funding from organisations based outside the shores of the country and as such, it would not be farfetched if part of the payback would be to cause a distraction such as this in an attempt to create unnecessary tension in the polity.
“CESJET also views the call as against National interest and must be resisted by well-meaning Nigerians. Nigeria must question such a request that is capable of jeopardising the efforts of the Nigeria Army in its ongoing operations across the country.
“Furthermore, the information requested would not serve the national interest, public welfare, public interest and peace, human rights, good governance, transparency and accountability. But instead, it would advance the interest of their paymasters that are hell-bent on destabilizing Nigeria.
“The gains recorded by the Nigeria Army in the past three years are there for all to see especially in its operations in North East Nigeria and other parts of the country.
“CESJET wishes to state that it is appalling and a national disgrace on how SERAP, EiE, and BudgIT have allowed itself to be used against the interest of the country, probably in return for improved funding of their operations in the new year.”
2019: Atiku, Russia are partnering to rig presidential polls, Coalition for Nigeria reveals
As the presidential elections edge closer, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) desperation for power is becoming even more glaring.
It is this utter desperation that triggered the PDP and its candidate Atiku Abubakar into hiring Russian hackers to compromise the polls.
With the reported alliance gaining grounds last week, the Coalition for Nigeria (CN) has echoed that it is no mere idle talk neither is it some sort of conspiracy theory.
The group made this known in a press statement on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to Mr Dipo Samuel, its Secretary General, Mr Atiku has already released funds to facilitate his secret mission.
“When the then PDP aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, hired the United States firm and lobbyist, Brian Ballard to work for his emergence, we expressed concerns as to why the same man that helped US President Donald Trump to engage Russians in meddling with US elections has been brought into Nigeria. It is now glaring that Brain Ballard is not here to consult and deliver transparent strategy. Ballard was engaged purely to secure the services of Russian hackers to meddle in the electoral process, hack INEC, rig the elections in favour of the PDP and ply citizens with dangerous propaganda.
“As part of Ballard’s strategies being implemented, we further gathered that certain internal changes have been made at INEC to strategically position certain officials in posts that will enable them compromise that organization’s cyber security. These officials are known to be PDP sympathizers. Their brief is to make sure that the security upgrades that will ward off attempts to hack the Commission’s servers are not implemented. The plan is for them to feign administrative lapses and inefficiency that will ensure such patches are not addressed.
“We understand that Ballard’s contract is for a period of one year when the elections were a mere months away at the time he was engaged. The reason is that he is meant to stay on to coordinate a hate campaign against the government after the PDP has lost the election. This is really worrisome because such damaging campaign played a critical role in depressing Nigeria’s economy by discouraging investors’ interest in Nigeria. The PDP is again geared to repeat the same attack on the viability of the country.
“Coalition for Nigeria is therefore drawing the world’s attention to the rat infested firewood that the PDP with its Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has brought home by way of commissioning Russian agents to collapse democracy in Nigeria. We believe the whole world should be worried and seriously so:
“When the possibility of Russia’s meddling in the US Elections was first raised it was dismissed as mere suspicion by many while others placed such allegation in the realm of fiction. The picture is clearer today and there has been conclusive proofs that Russia did meddle in the process to make Donald Trump win to emerge president. What is still unfolding is the extent of damage done to the US electoral and political process as the fallouts from the interference still reverberate in that country. It has produced outcomes that are directly threatening confidence in the process while questions are seriously being asked about how to get out of the bind the incident has plunged the country into.
CAN, however, urged INEC to take some measures.
“ INEC must immediately take steps to guarantee the integrity of its servers and protect them from intrusions and cyber-attacks. The electoral body must also vet afresh all those that occupy sensitive positions and senior officials with decision making capacity. Once it has done the needful, INEC must then brief Nigerians to reassure citizens that it will not allow Russia repeat the stunt it pulled in the United States here in Nigeria.
“The federal government must immediately step up diplomatic efforts to get assurances from Russia that it will not, as a nation, interfere in the conduct of Nigeria’s elections while also warning its nationals against taking briefs that could jeopardize relations with Nigeria. Government must also work with other countries to put the pressure on Russia.
“The Nigerian Immigration Service in conjunction with the Department of State Service (DSS) should intensify the screening of aliens arriving the country to ensure that free passage is not given to potential hackers to come and do damage here. The screening should take into account aliens that might have already set up in the country before this discovery was made and those from countries that are proxies from Russia.
“The PDP should call off its brief to sabotage the elections and apologise to Nigerians. Where the party continues to work on rigging the elections, INEC should wake up to its responsibility and invoke the necessary clauses in the Electoral Act and INEC Act.
“ We urge Nigerians to unite across party lines and condemn this evil plot. They should tell PDP and Atiku in clear terms that they have crossed the line in the matter of hiring foreigners to destroy Nigeria. It beats logic that a party can be desperate enough about winning elections that it is prepared to govern a graveyard nation”.