Arrest Of Protesters By Nigerian Army, An Embarrassment To Nigeria – Rights Group

By Alltimepost.com

Abuja, Nigeria – Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has condemned the recent arrest of more than six peaceful protesters of the dastardly murder of Benson Ogedengbe, a local vigilante, by men of the 19th Infantry Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Oghara, Delta State.

The organization, in statement released by its Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor in Abuja on Tuesday described the action as one that is unbecoming of any responsible military organization, coming on the heels of a recent damning Amnesty International report on gross human rights violations by the Nigerian military.

“This arrest of protesters who were lawfully carrying out their right to air their grievances lends credence to and certainly confirms the damning report by Amnesty International, AI, of the gross abuse and violation of human rights in Nigeria by men in uniform.”

ANEEJ called on the Nigerian military to release these innocent civilians and tender an unreserved apology to them.

“In today’s world when the military tries to stick to its legitimate role as defenders of a nation’s territorial integrity, this action of the military against innocent civilians is not only an embarrassment to the military high command, but puts a question mark on the ability of the nation to put a rein in on the officers and men of the armed forces bent on tarnishing the image of Nigeria,” Ugolor said.

He referred to a recent incident in which men of the Nigerian Customs aided and abetted the beating to stupor of Yomi Olomofe, Executive Director and chairman, editorial board of a local newspaper, Badagry Prime.

“Incidents like these lead to impunity and summary executions of civilians if they are not nipped in the bud in the nick of time.

We hereby call on the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, the International Criminal Court and the Human Rights Watch, to investigate these atrocities by the Nigerian army,” Ugolor said.

ANEEJ Executive Director, David Ugolor, was sometime in 2012 arrested and allegedly framed by the Nigerian police on a crime he did not commit.

His eventual release was borne out of protests by Civil demonstrations and protests from ordinary citizens who applied their legitimate rights to revoke the aberration of unlawful arrests by uniformed personnel, the statement added.