The Southern Middle Belt and Northern Minorities Forum, (SMBMNF), has said that the Water Resources Bill being proposed and supported by the Presidency is a conscious attempt to take over water resources belonging to indigenous communities in the country, calling on the National Assembly to drop the Bill in its entirety or face global outrage.
The group said this in a statement by its president, Sidney Imohbio, declaring that any member of the National Assembly from South, Middle Belt or Northern Minorities who supports the Bill is a traitor, noting that the Bill represents the promotion of a garrisoned structure in Nigeria which opposes the principles of Federalism.
“Any member of the National Assembly from South, Middle Belt or Northern Minorities who supports the bill is a traitor,” SMBMNF said.
“This is a bold-faced attempt to steal resources of the coastline indigenous people who have no land but are water-dependent,” it added.
This was just as SMBMNF disclosed that it had finalised arrangement to submit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) a protest letter this week, concerning the killings in Southern Kaduna.
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According to Imohbio, a lawyer, his group will be presenting a comprehensive report to the ICC on the killings in Southern Kaduna, vowing that the actors who sponsored the killings would not go unpunished.
“The actors who sponsor these savage killings will not go unpunished. For some of them who think they have immunity, they should learn from history that the ICC will come after them in line with best global practices,” he said.
He said SMBMNF had done extensive research on the crisis and realised the urgent need for certain politically exposed persons to face the international court, disclosing that his group was ready to assembly witnesses and an excellent legal team that would lead the process that would ensure justice and bring an end to the carnage.
“The number of deaths is chilling. Women and children are victims. The killings also have continued. There are strong indications some powerful politicians supply funds to prosecute the war.
The ICC is the only appropriate body that can bring to book the criminal actors. We have the names of those killed and we are working on the evidence of a conspiracy by the political elite. We want to assure Nigerians that these actors will be brought to justice at the International Criminal Court, (ICC),” SMBNMF said.
“We are determined to draw global attention to the carnage in Southern Kaduna. From our findings, an average of two (2) people are killed per day in Kaduna State.
The killings are perpetrated by non-state actors. We are alarmed at the presence of arms in the hands of non-state actors. There is the danger of arms race among the sides to the conflict,” the group added.
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