Victims Of Boko Haram Deserve Compensation As Of Right -SERAP

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued “an Urgent Appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan urging him to “reverse the recently announced policy of zero compensation for victims of Boko Haram attacks.”
The group said that the government should “within 14 days of the publication of this appeal announce compensation and reparation policies for victims of attacks by Boko Haram, and begin a process of establishing mechanisms for the effective and transparent implementation of such policies.” The group in the Urgent Appeal dated 7 November 2013 and signed by its executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni threatened to take “all necessary legal actions nationally and internationally to compel the government to fulfil its international human rights obligations and commitments,” if the  does not comply with its appeal.
The group said that, “In the wake of the devastation by Boko Haram, compensation and reparation programmes are absolutely essential to deliver justice to the victims of human rights abuses precipitated by the group. Paying compensation and reparation to victims of human rights abuses by Boko Haram is a matter of rights and not charity. Refusing or failing to pay adequate compensation and reparation to victims is to buy impunity for perpetrators.” ………