The Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to investigate and ascertain the veracity of the allegations by the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) about ongoing military operation in Igbomotoru 2 community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Beyelsa State by military men, in which no fewer than 40 people in the early hours of Sunday were killed.
The Rights group stated that it is not enough that military spokesmen had dismissed similar allegations in the past few days and described any of such as mere propaganda even as HURIWA said since the allegations have been sustained with claims of mass killings by suspected soldiers carrying out authorised internal security operations, it behoves on the Commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria to call his military Commanders to order and for the National Assembly to take immediate steps to ensure that if these allegations are factually accurate, then those responsible must be brought before the court of law to face charges of mass murders.
HURIWA quoting media sources stated that the Ijaw Youth Council’s President, Dr. Alaye Theophilus, at a world press conference in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, alleged that the community has been held hostage by the military men and that many houses have been burnt.
The 9th President of IYC wondered what would lead to the alleged invasion, stating that Igbomotoru communities were peaceful until the troops arrived for their onslaught.
Theophilus, who displayed gory pictures showing dead bodies littering streets, claimed that a humanitarian crisis was going on in the community, adding that military men have stopped people from exiting and entering the community.
He said, “On Sunday, 17th of March, in the early hours of that day, nine military boats invaded Ebemetoro 2 community in Bayelsa State and started shooting into the community. They killed fathers and mothers and youths. They killed over 40 people. While some dead bodies were burnt, others were thrown into the river to be flown into the Atlantic Ocean.
HURIWA reacting against the backdrops of these allegations by the respected organisation known as Ijaw Youth Council, is calling on President Tinubu to immediately halt the military operations and order the military chiefs to apply law-based and rights-based mechanisms to forensically investigate the identities of the exact killers of the 16 soldiers including some senior Army officers. HURIWA reminded the president that Nigeria runs a constitutional democracy and that the country is not a banana Republic and if that is so, everyone must comply fully with the provisions of the Constitution including binding provisions absolutely prohibiting state sponsored public execution and extra-legal killings under whatever guises especially if those executions aren’t authorised through a competent court of law after exhaustive trials and appeals.
HURIWA is worried by these allegations of mass killings of civilians by alleged military operatives who are reportedly carrying out internal security operations to fish out the armed attackers responsible for last week’s assassination of 16 soldiers and Army officers and we are asking the president who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria to order that this insane mass murders should be halted immediately and the alleged armed security agents responsible for the mass killings arrested, investigated and prosecuted for mass killings because under no circumstances should Nigeria permit extra-legal assassinations of civilians. The military must comply with the rules of engagement and respect the fundamental rights of citizens during all internal security operations.
HURIWA through the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko condemned any manifestations of extra-legal execution or summary executions of civilians by security agents carrying out internal security operations because of Nigeria’s binding obligations to comply with global human rights laws including Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of human rights which provides that: “Every one has the right to life, liberty and security of persons”.
HURIWA stated too that under a plethora of binding provisions of chapter 4 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) including section 33(1) the president of Nigeria and all political office holders have the legal mandate, responsibility and binding obligations to ensure that “Every person has right to life, and no one SHALL be deprived intentionally of his life, save in the execution of the sentence of a court in respect of which the person has been convicted and deemed guilty in Nigeria.”
