Army commanders want Amnesty International sent packing from Nigeria over its human rights abuse claims

NIGERIAN Army senior commanders have called for the closure of the Amnesty International offices in the country amid claims that the organisation is not helping its plans to combat Boko Haram and end the terrorist insurgency in the northeast.

Last week, the Nigerian Army accused Unicef of aiding terrorism in the region, adding that its activities were assisting Boko Haram. Now, military commanders have also alleged that Amnesty International is engaging in the clandestine sponsorship of anti-government dissident groups and is peddling as unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military.

Brigadier Sani Usman, the Nigerian Army spokesman, said that Amnesty International’s alleged attempt to destabilise the nation was noted through the fabrication of fictitious allegations of human rights abuses against the security forces. He alleged that the Nigerian branch of Amnesty International that had hitherto been well respected has deviated from the core values, principles and objectives of its parent body in the UK.

Brigadier Usman said: “They have tried over the years using Boko Haram terrorists’ conflicts, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, some activists and now herders-farmers conflicts. The non-governmental organisation is on the verge of releasing yet another concocted report against the military, ostensibly against the Nigerian Army.

“Consequently, Nigerians should be wary of Amnesty International Nigeria because its goals are to destabilise Nigeria and to dismember it. The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues."

Over the weekend, Amnesty International said the Nigerian authorities’ failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country. This conflict has resulted in at least 3,641 deaths over the past three years and the displacement of thousands more, the human rights report stated.

In the report titled Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders, Amnesty International found that 57% of the 3,641 recorded deaths occurred in 2018. It said security forces were often positioned close to the attacks, which lasted hours and sometimes days, yet were slow to act.

According to Amnesty International, in some cases, the security forces had prior warning of an imminent raid but did nothing to stop or prevent the killings, looting and burning of homes. Before the latest crisis, Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian Army of the summary execution of suspected terrorists in the northeast without trial.

Osai Ojigho, the director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said: “The Nigerian government has displayed what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population and end the intensifying conflict between herders and farmers. The authorities’ lethargy has allowed impunity to flourish and the killings to spread to many parts of the country, inflicting greater suffering on communities who already live in constant fear of the next attack.”