ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Civil society organisations (CSOs) and pressure groups under the auspices of People for the Defence of Human Rights in Nigeria have asked United States President Barrack Obama to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari not to slide into authoritarianism and acts of gross human rights violation.
The group conveyed its fears for Nigerian democracy in a letter addressed to Obama at the weekend through the US Ambassador to Nigeria, and signed by the Head, Leadership and Accountability Initiative, Mr. Henry-Shield Nwazuruahu; President, Egalitarian Mission, Africa, Comrade Kayode Ajulo; Head, Intergovernmental Liaison, Amb. Timothy Ihemadu; Head, Coalition of Social Media Activists in Nigeria, Mr. Churchill Umoren; President, African Youth Human Rights & Democracy Network, Comrade Olawale Ajani; and President, 100 Lawyers for Democracy & Justice, Zakari Babaa.
The group said that “the troubling trend of violation of citizens’ rights commenced with the election Buhari as the President, this trend negates the basic principles of our democracy and freedom guaranteed by our Constitution.”
The group alerted that if not checked, the President might relapse back to alleged dictatorial tendencies he exhibited during his military regime between 1984 -1985, citing the resent house arrest of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and other perceived opponents of the government. [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
They noted that many of the pre-election promises by the President and his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) “have been denied and Nigeria has once again begun to witness obvious violations of citizen’s rights particularly targeted at members of the past administration and his perceived political rivals”.
Part of the letter read: “Security operatives raided the Akwa Ibom Governor’s lodge in Uyo in search of some elusive stockpile of arms and foreign currency. Nothing was found. The action has been tagged by the state legislature as an act of persecution and political vendetta”, which contravenes section 308 (1,2,3) of the 1999 constitution.
“Gordon Obuah, erstwhile Chief Security Officer to former President, Goodluck Jonathan nearly died in the cells of the DSS. Reports say, he fainted and went into coma several times. The DSS claimed he was involved in illegal oil bunkering. He was denied access to his attorneys, family and medication even though he is hypertensive.
“Few days ago, operatives of the DSS raided the Abuja home of former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Bafarawa. It was not clear why they went after him. Why they raided his house when they were aware he was abroad at the time is still mind boggling,” the group said.
They further stated that “Dasuki ordeal is one of the very lows of the present administration’s wanton abuse of rights and disregard of court orders.
“After celebrating fairness, due process, and the rule of law last July to win the goodwill of the United States, General Buhari returned to Nigeria to do what he knows best. He went after perceived opponents in the name of fighting corruption. Prominent was the vendetta against former NSA. He placed Dasuki under house arrest, confiscated his passport, charged him with unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering violations and sought a secret trial to prevent independent scrutiny”.
On President Buhari’s anti-graft war, the group also noted that, while the government should recover monies stolen by past government officials, and thereafter prosecute those found wanting, the Federal Government’s anti-corruption agencies must not violate the fundamental human rights of the people.”
According to the civil society body, shortly after the president declared war on corrupt government officials, prominent Nigerians called for caution because there were clear cases of selective persecution, and violation of citizens’ rights.
The group, as a matter of urgency, drew the attention of Obama and US government to what they described as “the burgeoning police state that is emerging in Nigeria, and to seek the intervention of your office to ‘be the voice of reason’ that will nip the emerging dictatorship in its bud, lest the nation descend again into the dark days of guns, jackboots and whips.
“We fear that, if action is not taken urgently, we may witness a crisis of epic proportion that could magnify the number of refugees to the already large number of internally displaced persons which the Federal Government through the assistance of international community is grappling to contend,” the group concluded.