x

FG berates Amnesty Int’l

Must read

*Fault its report on farmers, herders clash
*Says clashes not anchored on religion
*That such clashes have been happening for over 100yrs
*Appeals to communities not to be provoked by AIs misleading report

Again, the presidency has faulted claims by Amnesty International that deadly clashes between farmers and herdsmen in some parts of the country are attributable to a failure of government officials to respond swiftly to early warning signs.
AI also accused the All Progressive Congress-led government of complacency, especially in bringing offenders to book to serve as deterrents.

The AI a non-governmental organization with a focus on addressing human rights violations, had in its report released on Monday and titled “Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders in Nigeria” taken a swipe on the Buhari administration.

But in a reaction by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, said the AI report only confirms President Muhammadu Buhari’s position that the conflict between herders and farmers in Nigeria was not anchored on religion.
Shehu also alleged that Amnesty International report may have been influenced by local politicians who are of the mindset that this whole problem is about the scarcity of resources.

The presidential spokesman also said the report raises questions about the validity of AI’s evidence-gathering.
“It is like knowing the facts but drawing the wrong conclusions. Still, Amnesty International got some of its facts wrong. It is not correct to state in any way that the problem between farmers and herders is a new thing over the last three years.
“It has been happening for over 100 years. Colonial Powers Britain and France had regularly recorded these conflicts which are available in Archives.
“It is equally untrue that government has done nothing. Alleged human rights abuses have been investigated. Clashes have been reduced through government’s actions.

“This progress is due to the strong determination of the administration to punish rights violators no matter who they are, including the military through Orderly Room trials, Court Martials and the regular courts.
“This administration has given absolute freedom to the National Human Rights Commission and set an important record by paying compensation to the victims of the rights abuses. The Apo Six, for instance, had received compensation to the tune of N135 million. Just a few months back, the President signed the law against torture.

“In an interim report in October this year, the International Criminal Court, ICC, stated that:
“The Nigerian authorities appear to have taken concrete steps in fulfilling their primary responsibility of investigating and prosecuting ICC crimes. While there seems to be a tangible prospect of further proceedings against members of Boko Haram including high-level commanders, at this time, the same cannot be said of NSF in particular since the Nigerian authorities deny any allegations against the latter.”

Shehu explained that every country experiencing any level of insecurity or insurgency either as a matter of external aggression or even more sensitively, internal conflict is confronted with complex and sensitive issues. Nigeria is no exception.
He said the government is very much concerned about the sad and unfortunate loss of lives and properties, and the collateral has broken/threatened communal relationships and societal mutual trust occasioned by attacks our nation has experienced.
“As a nation, we remain unrelenting in securing our country and restoring peace in troubled areas. Although the complications that attend internal conflicts are present in Nigeria, the courage to confront both the conflicts and their complexities remain a matter of priority to this Administration.

“Indeed, reputable global organizations have recognized that the efforts of our security forces, who work tirelessly to secure our communities, are yielding results. An example of this is the recently published Global Terrorism Index Report, 2018, which acknowledged the effectiveness of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations, stating that:
“Total deaths from terrorism in Nigeria fell to 1,532 in 2017, a decrease of 16 percent from the prior year. The decline follows the 63 percent drop in deaths in Nigeria in the preceding year and a 34 percent drop in 2015. This highlights the effectiveness of the counter-insurgency operations undertaken in Nigeria and its neighbors, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.”
“Curiously, the Amnesty International report, “Harvest of Death: three years of bloody clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria”, appears to be inconsistent with the Report above. Global Terrorism Index Report is considered a credible source even for Amnesty International covering the same period and the same terrain,” he stated.
Shehu also stated that Al in addition to stating inaccurate casualty figures misleadingly alleges that the government has failed to protect affected communities and refused to investigate; arrest and prosecute perpetrators of these attacks. Nothing could be further from the truth.

He said the Buhari administration has continued to work ceaselessly to enhance security in affected parts of the country, ensure that victims are provided with relief and that criminals are arrested and prosecuted. It is careless and mischievous to misrepresent the facts and thereby mislead the public.

He said our security forces are not going to be deterred; neither will their morale and effort be affected by any tendentious report that mischaracterizes the important sacrifice they make to protect citizens at great risk of injury or death.
He noted that it is the global norm and custom that assessors and commentators are fair and factual in their reportage and accounts of incidents and situations so that they do not endanger the lives of security personnel or worsen conflicts. Nonetheless, our security forces will continue to intensify ongoing and new multi-pronged approaches to conflict resolution.
He, however, noted that Federal Government welcomes fair and constructive assessments aimed at dousing tension and promoting mutual communal confidence, safety and security, but rejects inflammatory statements, reports or assessments that stoke tension and deepen mistrust and thereby intensify conflicts and violence.

“As part of a more comprehensive intervention and response to the violence and conflict, the Federal Government deployed security forces to affected areas, empanelled fact-finding missions, and repeated visits and engagement by the most senior government and security officials/special forces including the President as well as relocating command and control apparatus to such areas. Further, the National Economic Council established a 10-man Committee on farmers/herdsmen clashes, headed by the Vice President.
“Finally, and in the interest of openness, the Federal Ministry of Justice is analyzing the Amnesty International Report for further responses, and actions where applicable and necessary.

“The Federal Government also appeals to communities not to be provoked or inflamed by this misleading report to seek or pursue reprisal action against others within their communities, but to remain assured that the government will continue to take steps to secure citizens and promote amicable conflict resolution as well as peaceful co-existence,” he stated.

Copyright DAYBREAK.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from DAYBREAK NEWS.

More articles

1506 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisement -

Latest article