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UK MPs Write Commonwealth On Nigeria’s Insecurity
Some members of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords, the British upper legislative chamber, have petitioned the Commonwealth over the persistence of insurgency and farmer/herder crisis in Nigeria.
The lawmakers, in a letter dated September 14, 2020, addressed to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, said failure of the Federal Government to protect Nigerians was a breach of its obligations under the Commonwealth Charter.
Those who signed the letter to the Commonwealth scribe include Baroness Cox, Lord Alton of Liverpool, Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws QC, Jim Shannon, MP, Lord Williams of Oystermouth ( a former Archbishop of Canterbury) and Lord Carey of Clifton, also a former Archbishop of Canterbury.
Others are Lord Bishop of Coventry, Dr Christopher Cocksworth; Lord Bishop of Truro, Philip Mounstephen; Lord Stoddart of Swindon; Lord Anderson of Swansea; Lord Cormack; Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC; Ayo Adedoyin of International Organization for Peace and Social Justice, and Ewelina Ochab of Coalition for Genocide Response.
Mervyn Thomas, CSW; Dr Khataza Gondwe, CSW; Neville Kyrke-Smith of Aid to the Church in Need (UK); Dr John Eibner of Christian Solidarity International and Ann Buwalda of Jubilee Campaign also signed the letter.
Referencing a report by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, the lawmakers said thousands of civilians have been killed and that “elements of the Nigerian government may be complicit in violence”.
The lawmakers asked that a probe be carried out into the killings and at the least ensure “adequate protection and aid for those suffering the loss of family members and the destruction of their homes and livelihoods.’’
The letter, which said that some of the signatories had met and spoken with Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), quoted news reports attributed to him to the effect that the armed forces are not neutral and that they collude in the ethnic cleansing in riverine states by Fulani herders.
“He insists that villagers must defend themselves because ‘depending on the armed forces’ will result in them dying ‘one by one’. The ethnic cleansing must stop,” it quoted Danjuma as saying.
It, however, conceded that the signatories “recognize the important distinction between the Fulani in general (a diverse group of millions of people with hundreds of clans) and the sub-group of well armed, radicalized Fulani who carry out attacks.”
The letter, titled “Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide?” read: “We write to highlight urgent concerns about escalating violence in Nigeria, where attacks, led by Boko Haram, Fulani herders and other Islamist militia continue in northern and central-belt states, with reports of increasing violence in the South-East.
“The state’s failure to protect its citizens is a clear breach of its obligations under the Commonwealth Charter in respect of human rights.
“There is now an urgent need to ensure adequate protection and aid for those suffering the loss of family members and the destruction of their homes and livelihoods, and to end impunity by ensuring that complaints related to human rights violations are promptly, independently, and impartially investigated and those responsible are held to account after fair trials.”
The parliamentarians further asked that the issue be raised with the Commonwealth ministerial action group.
“We write, therefore, to ask whether you are able to respond on behalf of the Commonwealth and to raise these urgent concerns with the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. We would be very willing to meet in person (or perhaps more practically online via zoom) to discuss how we might proceed,’’ the lawmakers stated.
But reacting, the All Progressives Congress (APC), asked the United Kingdom group, led by Baroness Cox of the House of Lords, to focus on the problems facing their country and leave Nigeria alone.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr Yekini Nabena, told newsmen that each country has its own fair share of insecurity and other challenges.
Noting that the violence in Southern Kaduna, some parts of the Middle Belt and other states of the federation could not be described as genocide, Nabena advised the UK to also begin to look at the bright side of things in Nigeria.
In its reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that the security alert in the country raised by the British parliamentarians was an indication of a vote of no confidence on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government by a highly respected member of the international community.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Diran Odeyemi, said the Federal Government’s inability to run Boko Haram terrorists out of town showed that Buhari’s pledge to deliver on security has failed.
The party also called on the government to take the fight against terrorism to the criminals in their enclaves, lamenting that in the past few years, many Nigerians died recklessly owing to government’s failure to secure them from the hands of their killers.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.