(Onitsha Nigeria, 14th of March 2016)-The leadership of International Society for Civil Liberties
& the Rule of Law (Intersociety) is shocked to observe that not less than 4000 unarmed citizens of Nigeria
have been butchered between June 2015 and March 2016; a period of 10 months
after the swearing in of Retired Gen Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s sixth
electoral president. This represents average of 400 killings monthly. Our
latest updates are built on our previous statements on same subject. It is also
correct to say that Nigeria had since the beginning of June 2015 moved from ballot
box to killing fields; resulting in the murder of the number of citizens under
reference. The unarmed and innocent citizens were butchered in the hands of the
State and non State killing entities. Of the 4000 murdered citizens, coercive
agents of the Buhari administration; fully backed by President Muhammadu Buhari
himself, are responsible for at least 1000 murders, while other non State
killing entities account for at least 3000 others. The killings under reference
are unreservedly condemned.
Majority of the State sanctioned
killings are perpetrated by the Nigerian Army led by Lt Gen Turkur Buratai,
while the Nigeria Police Force led by IGP Solomon Arase and others including
Nigerian Navy account for the rest. There are also strong suspicions that
killings carried out by the Fulani Terror group are State sanctioned and condoned.
Of the 3000 killings by non State violent entities, in the past 10 months, Boko
Haram Terror group accounts for at least 1,820, while the Fulani Terror group (erroneously
called herdsmen) accounts for at least 880. The rest is perpetrated by sectarian,
demographic and cult militant groups. Specifically, those killed by coercive
agents of the Buhari administration include 705 members of the Shiite Muslim
movement, who were mass-murdered in December 2015 on the directives of the
Chief of Army Staff (Lt Gen Turkur Buratai).
The Human Rights Watch had in
late December 2015 disclosed factually that “at least 300 Shiite members were
killed and buried by Nigerian soldiers in Zaria on December 12 and 14, 2015”.
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Shiite) had also in January 2016 made public
names and pictures of its 705 members murdered or gone missing in the hands of
Nigerian Army since December 12 and 14, 2015. The link below contained their
names and pictures: http://www.360nobs.com/2016/01/zaria-massacre-shia-group-issues-705-names-photos-of-missing-members-see-list/.Other
unarmed and innocent citizens killed by coercive
agents of the Buhari administration are over 80 unarmed and non violent IPOB
members and supporters killed in Onitsha, Aba and Port Harcourt, between August
2015 and February 2016; as well as recent killings in Rivers State by Nigerian
soldiers, etc.
We had in our previous updates
disclosed that the Fulani Terror group had between May and October 2015, killed
not less than 380 unarmed and innocent rural citizens mostly in the former
Middle Belt region of Nigeria. Most of the victims belong to Christian
religion. According to the Open Doors, a pressure group advocating
for persecuted Christians in Northern Nigeria, in its recent 47-page report of
March 4th 2016, “over 1.3 million Christians have fled their homes
in Northern Nigeria since 2000 to escape Boko Haram and Fulani Terror groups’
holocausts as well as politically oiled sectarian violence; and 9,000-11,500 Christians
have been killed and 13,000 churches closed or destroyed”.
Thousands of Christians including
girl-children have also been forcefully converted to Islam. Between January and
July 2015, alone, according to the Punch Newspaper, the Fulani Terror group and
its violence killed a total of 621 rural citizens including 231 murdered in
March 2015 alone; out of which, 90 were murdered in Agatu Community of Benue
State. Most of them are Christians. Over half of the killings perpetrated in
the seven months of 2015, took place in Benue State. In 2010, the Fulani Terror
group stormed Dogo na Hauwa Village of Plateau State and slaughtered up to, if
not over 500 villagers comprising women, children and other helpless and
unarmed citizens. The cult killings or violence also resulted to 140 deaths
between January and July 2015.
Between October 2015 and March
2016, the Fulani Terror group also carried out further butchering of at least
500 unarmed and innocent rural citizens. The butchery includes the Agatu
massacre of 23rd of February 2016 in which hundreds of unarmed and
innocent rural citizens were massacred as well as the January 24th
2016 killing of an Igbo DPO and 30 others in Girei Local Government of Adamawa
State. The murdered Igbo DPO (CSP Okezie Okereofor) was in-charge of the
Vunokilang Police Station in the area when the butchery took place. The
remaining 300 violent murders are linked to sectarian, demographic and cult
militant entities; totaling in all, to at least 4000 violent deaths in the past
ten months (June 2015 to March 2016) of the Buhari’s presidency. According to
APC authorities in Nigeria, “32 of its members were killed in recent political
attacks in Rivers State”.
Further, on 7th of
October 2015, we disclosed that the Boko Harm Terror group had between May 30,
2015 and 7th of October 2015, killed at least 1,324 unarmed and
innocent citizens. We had earlier on 16th of July 2015 disclosed that over 1000 citizens were killed in 48 days of the Buhari’s
Presidency by Boko Haram and Islamist Fulani terror groups. The figure then
included at least 625 Boko Haram killings and 380 killings carried out by the
Fulani Islamist terror group; erroneously called Fulani Herdsmen. According to the Global
Terrorism Index (of 2015), a total of 6, 614 citizens were
killed by Boko Haram Terror group in Nigeria in 2014 alone. The previous update
of ours, dated 7th of October 2015 is contained in the link below.http://www.newsexpressngr.com/news/detail.php?news=16050&title=Boko-Haram:-1,700-killed-under-Buhari%E2%80%99s-watch-%E2%80%94Intersociety-%E2%80%A2Declares-Police,-DSS-moribund
Of not less than 500 unarmed and
innocent citizens killed by Boko Haram Terror group between October 2015 and
March 2016; a period of ten months, 296 are cited below. They are as follows:
On 18th of October 2015, 12 citizens were killed in Adamawa after
two female bombers detonated a bomb; on 23rd of October 2015, 27
were killed after suicide attacks in a mosque in Adamawa; on 21st of
October 2015, 13 people were killed after armed Boko Haram elements opened fire
on four cars, killing passengers on board in Ngazai area of Borno State. They
also attacked a mosque in Maiduguri on 23rd of October 2015, killing
at least 19. On 17th of November 2015, Boko Haram attackers stormed
a food market in Yola and killed 32 citizens. In the same November 2015, a
total of 35 citizens were killed by Boko Haram armed elements in various
attacks in Kano State. On 27th of December 2015, Boko Haram elements
set fire on the Village of Kimba in Borno State, killing 14. On 28th
of December 2015, Boko Haram elements via two female bombers detonated bombs at
a Madagali crowded market in Borno State, killing 28 (source: Wikipedia 2015).
The Associated Press (AP) also
reported that Boko Haram violent elements had on 31st of January
2016, killed 86 citizens in attacks in Dalori Village of Borno State and on 14th
of February 2016, the CNN reported that 30 citizens were killed by Boko Haram
armed elements in a series of attacks launched in the Villages of Yakshari and
Kachifa in Damboa district of Borno State.
The categorized killings above
highlighted did not include members of the Nigerian security forces killed in
action by violent Boko Haram elements or Boko Haram combatants killed in action
by the country’s security forces. Pretrial killings by personnel of the Nigeria
Police Force perpetrated against their detainees were also not included.
Victims of the killings above other than cult related killings are found not to
have advocated or used violence. They neither belonged nor participated in any
violent conflict involving Boko Haram insurgency and the Government of Nigeria.
Their killings are carried out in brazen misuse or excessive application of
State violence or for the purpose of earning crude collateral violent advantage
(by Boko Haram) against Nigerian State institutions and authorities in the
ongoing Boko Haram insurgency. Those butchered by Fulani Terror group are
killed for the purpose of advancement of politico-religious cleansing or Jihads
majorly targeted against Christian population in Nigeria. Other sectarian, demographic
and cult related violence are also found to be politically motivated and
sanctioned.
The killings clearly showcase
deepening signs of State weakness and fragility and clear resurgence of politicide,
democide, ethnocide and religocide. Totality of these has led to the
return of killing fields in Nigeria. With 4000 murders in barely ten
months on average of killing of 400 citizens monthly and with the State
steadily losing its institutional and constitutional capacities to protect the
citizenry, the probability of full return to self help by the citizenry is very
high. The entry by the State of Nigeria as a partaker in the country’s resurged
killing fields, with 1000 murders in ten months to its name, shows grave dangers
ahead. Comparatively, while the unlawful homicide rate of the State was
strictly tamed and restricted to police pretrial killings and war related
atrocities in the Boko Haram insurgency during the administration of Goodluck
Jonathan; it has spiraled under the Buhari administration with incessancy of
killing of unarmed and innocent citizens. The killings by the Fulani Terror
group are also on sharp increase under Buhari administration.
Finally, Nigeria has moved from ballot
box to killing fields and from change to chains. Nigeria’s human
rights and rule of law records are also at the lowest ebbs. Avoidable death
records in the country have spiraled. The country’s chief internal security
establishment-Nigeria Police Force is endlessly crawling and goofing. Its IGP
is more concerned in hanging unto his job than to provide security and protect
the unarmed and defenseless Nigerian citizens. He orders his field personnel to
kill at slightest sight of any citizen peacefully and nonviolently exercising
his or her constitutional rights particularly those of movement and peaceful
assemblies. Unarmed and innocent assemblies gathered to ask governing
authorities relevant social questions pertaining to their country’s political,
economic, and cultural and security downturns are violently and deadly disrupted
on account of his murderous orders; whereas malicious citizens and entities who
illicitly armed themselves and engaged in unchecked butchering of their fellow
citizens are shielded.
Signed:
For: International Society for Civil Liberties &
the Rule of Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Website: www.intersociety-ng.org
Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq.
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Program
Mobile Line: +2348034186332
Chinwe Umeche, Esq., Head, Democracy & Good
Governance Program
+2347013238673
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