A PRO-DEMOCRACY Non-governmental organization-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described as unsubstantiated and baseless the sweeping human rights indictments of the Nigerian Military by the United States of America Congress which makes it cumbersome and difficult to procure sophisticated military hardwares from the Western powers to prosecute successfully the counter terrorism warfare.
HURIWA has also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to protest against these sweeping indictments of the Nigerian Military with the hierarchy of the United States of America Congress because according to the Rights group it has it on good authority that there exists functional human Rights violations’ redress mechanisms put in place as far back as when Lieutenant General Onyeabor Ihejirika was the Chief of Army Staff in Nigeria. “It is only a person not well informed that could settle down in his cocoon and issue baseless, sensational, irrational and totally farcical statements derogating and disrespecting with reckless abandon the esteem and respectability of an institution such as the Nigerian military which not too long ago received overwhelming acclaims for efficient peace keeping operations under the United Nations platform. To jump into laughable conclusions of branding the entire Nigerian military as a hub of rapists and human rights abusers because of some acts of human rights violations by some rogue operatives is nothing but illogical and delusional”.
HURIWA said it has it on good authority with empirical evidence that on measures to enhance Human Rights the military as an institution as far back as the tenure of the then Chief of Army Staff General Ihejirika established the Civil Military Affairs Department of the Army for the first time. Since its establishment, the department has conducted several seminars aimed at fostering closer relationship between the civilians and the military. The department remains a channel through which the populace including human rights groups could make their observations on military operations without any hindrance”.
HURIWA also stated that it is aware of a subsisting partnership between the Nigerian military and some credible human rights bodies and the institutional authority for human rights protection in Nigeria which is the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria under the leadership of Professor Bem Amgwe.
HURIWA also averred thus: “We have found out that contrary to the jaundiced perceptions by the US Congress the military in Nigeria has indeed activated measures to provide remedial redress for alleged abuses of the rights of detainees in military facilities because even as far back as when General Ihejirika was the Nigerian Army Chief of Staff in order to ensure that military’s detention facilities meet international standards, please note that the Nigerian Army under General Ihejirika’s watch also established a detention centre with adequate provisions for water, light, medical and toilet facilities before his disengagement from service in January 2014. “HURIWA has been told and confirmed that this and many other rights compliant detention facilities are very major contributions in the fight against insurgency deserving of local and international commendation”.
HURIWA recalled that Senator Patrick Leahy whose name was used to pass a legislation in the United States Congress that prohibits sophisticated weaponry from been sold to Nigeria based on allegations of human rights violations by the military in internal security operations had also at the Weekend lambasted the Nigerian military institution as harbouring and tolerating rapists and human rights abusers amongst it’s ranks. But HURIWA disagrees sharply saying such a sweeping allegations made about a whole military institution was unfair and should be withdrawn since it is both baseless and untrue.
The Rights group further stated that credible civil society groups in Nigeria are vigilantly providing oversight assessment of the Nigerian Military and wouldn’t hesitate pointing out any untoward development on the promotion and protection of the fundamental human rights of the citizenry by the operatives. HURIWA however appeals to the current hierarchy of the Nigerian Military to upgrade her partnership to promote and protect human rights with credible and functional civil society and human rights organisations in Nigeria so as to enhance the public image and standing of the Nigerian Military before the global community