Activists including Femi Falana, Adetokunbo Mumini, Dr Chidi Odinkalu and Amnesty International Nigeria have asked the Federal Government to immediately end the involvement of the Army in the maintenance of internal security in the country.
The activists made this call against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s recent deployment of the Army to stem the rising incidences of killings by bandits, kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery in Zamfara State.
In a statement signed on their behalf by legal adviser of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Bamisope Adeyanju, the activists argued that the Army rather than restore law and order used force against a number of residents of Zamfara who staged protests against the armed bandits’ attacks.
This, the activists, termed as an abuse of fundamental rights, harassment and intimidation of residents of Zamfara state by the Nigerian Army, which would be stopped if the Army is withdrawn.
The activists, however, noted that it was expedient for security agencies to prosecute those armed bandits who had been arrested for rape, armed robbery, abduction, culpable homicide among other human
rights abuses and crimes.
This is as they asked the government to adequately compensate families of the people of Zamfara who had been victims of anarchy and chaos in the state.
Other activists who jointly signed the statement were, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Dr Kolawole Olaniyan, Malachi Ugwummadu, SERAP, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Human and Environmental
Development Agenda (HEDA), Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC), Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, (CDHR) and Transition Monitoring Group (TMG).
The statement further read, “We urge the Nigerian authorities to immediately end the involvement of the Army in the maintenance of internal security in the country as it has always led to the wanton killing of innocent people.
“They should immediately end harassment and intimidation of the people of Zamfara State by the Nigerian Army; urgently recruit and train the adequate number of police personnel to secure the country.
“They should pay adequate compensation to the families of the people who have been killed by the armed bandits and Nigerian Army in Zamfara State, and ensure prosecution of the armed bandits arrested by security forces for committing the offences of rape, armed robbery, abduction, culpable homicide and other human rights abuses and crimes under international law.”
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