Punish Human Rights Violators, CSOs tells Military

By Gbenga Ogundare

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria(HURIWA) has challenged the military hierarchy to ensure that all culprits indicted for human rights violations are brought to justice and to uphold  respect for rule of law.
National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko who disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja said that the recent partnership between the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Bar Association(NBA)in promoting human rights is commendable.
He expressed optimism that the partnership will give fillip to the collective effort  to upholds the fundamental rights and protection of all citizens in Nigeria.
According to him; “This synergy between Army and NBA is a welcome development and is capable of engendering hope in the change agenda of the current Federal Government and so we pass a vote of confidence on the Chief of Army Staff in this specific program and we are committed to partnering with the military to promote human rights.
“We acknowledge the commitment of the Chief of Army Staff to embed human rights association in the overall  root-branch reform of the Army; massive re-training and re-orientation.’
“We in the civil society community have examined this framework of partnership for human rights and found it commendable and a project whose scope should be expanded and sustained.”
Onwubiko however called on the Federal Government to focus on the damaging allegations against the Army to prove the veracity or otherwise of it so that culprits are punished.
He also noted that impunity such as letting smugglers of weapons go scot free promotes terrorism and the wanton killings of innocent Nigerians.
The Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Bar Association inaugurated a team in 2015 to monitor and report cases of human rights violations by security agents across the country.
The monitoring team was aimed at improving human rights protection and also check human rights abuses in the country.