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Tag: Femi Falana

  • Stop Referring To Terrorists As Bandits, Falana Cautions Media, Nigerians

    Stop Referring To Terrorists As Bandits, Falana Cautions Media, Nigerians

    Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged the media and Nigerians to stop branding terrorists as mere bandits.

    Mr Falana made the appeal in a statement on Sunday while reacting to the Federal Government’s seeming silence on the calls to declare bandits as terrorists.

    He made reference to the Chibok situation, as well as IPOB among others who the government was “quick to proscribe” as terrorists and yet has continued to treat banditry ‘lightly’.

    “It is public knowledge that the dangerous criminal elements who kidnapped the Chibok and Dapchi secondary school girls in the North East Zone in 2014 and 2017 respectively were not referred to as bandits.

    “They were called terrorists by the Federal Government and the media. The description was correct as the abductions carried out by the criminal elements were acts of terrorism. But for reasons best known to the Federal Government the criminal elements who are currently involved in the brutal killing of innocent people and abduction of thousands of people including primary school pupils in the North West Zone are called bandits and not terrorists.

    “Embarrassed by the reluctance of the Federal Government to deal decisively with the so-called bandits the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, in separate sittings, unanimously passed resolutions last weekend requesting President Buhari to declare the dangerous criminal elements as terrorists and proscribe them in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act as amended without any further delay.

    “The federal lawmakers also asked President Buhari to declare all the known leaders of the bandits wanted and track them wherever they are for arrest and prosecution. So far, the Federal Government has ignored the resolutions.

    “However, as the Federal Government is not prepared to declare them as terrorists we call on the media and the Nigerian people to stop referring to terrorists as bandits,” the Senior Advocate said.

  • We’ve Gone Beyond Looking For Grazing Routes – Falana

    We’ve Gone Beyond Looking For Grazing Routes – Falana

    Human Rights Activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has faulted the Presidency’s approval to review grazing reserves in 25 states in the country.

    Falana who was a guest on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, said: “we’ve gone beyond this stage of looking for grazing routes”.

    “As far as the law is concerned, the President cannot, (with profound respect), be talking of looking for grazing routes in 2021, Nigeria.

    “The Northern Governor Forum, the Southern Governors Forum, and even the Miyetti Allah group have all come to a conclusion that open grazing is obsolete,” he added.

    His comments come days after President Muhammadu Buhari approved recommendations of a committee to review “with dispatch,” 368 grazing sites, across 25 states in the country, “to determine the levels of encroachment.”

    Among other things, the Committee recommended the production of maps and geo-mapping/tagging of sites, analysis of findings and report preparations as well as design appropriate communication on Grazing Reserves and operations.

    This comes as the nation battles insecurity, including farmer-herder clashes.

    But efforts by the Federal Government to resolve the age-long crises including the introduction of the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) have met stiff opposition.

    Many believe ranching is a better approach to the problem.

    “We need a national resolution of this crisis. We need a scientific solution. We need a modern solution to this problem,” Falana said.

    “State governors are already investing in ranching”.

  • We’ve identified the barracks of soldiers who shot protesters in Lekki – Femi Falana

    We’ve identified the barracks of soldiers who shot protesters in Lekki – Femi Falana

    Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has said that the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 And Beyond (ASCAB) which he serves as Chairman of the group, has identified the barracks of the soldiers who opened fire on protesters at Lekki toll gate in Lagos.

    Recall that on Tuesday, October 20, EndSARS protesters who had gathered at the Lekki-Victoria Island tollgate to stage their protest demanding an end to police brutality and a call for police reform, were shot at.

    Speaking when he appeared as a guest on ARISE TV on Monday, October 26, Falana, said his group has been able to trace the barracks where the soldiers came from.

    “We have already identified the barracks where the soldiers left for Lekki, we have already identified the barracks.

    The President was likely to have been told, soldiers were ordered so I want to believe that’s why it was not addressed and they said it was a rumour but I think the facts are emerging now, that indeed soldiers went to Lekki, indeed they fired at protesters and indeed some of the protesters at least two have been officially acknowledged to have died from gunshot wounds.”Falana said

    He said ASCAB would establish an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the October 20 shooting of protesters at Lekki toll plaza.

    “ASCAB shall establish an Independent National Citizen’s Panel of Inquiry under a number of conditions Composition of the Citizen’s Panel of Inquiry shall comprise representatives of credible and identified organisations of the youth that took part in the #Endsars protest movement, including the Feminist Coalition, among others; representatives of credible and tested civil society organisations,” he said