President Muhammadu Buhari has
reacted to the claim by the Amnesty International, AI, that the problem between
farmers and herders was a new thing over the last three years of his
administration.
In a statement on Thursday by his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mallam
Garba Shehu, Buhari said that AI got some of its facts wrong.
Buhari also pointed out that his
administration had given absolute freedom to the National Human Rights
Commission and set an important record by paying compensation to the victims of
the rights abuses.
The statement added, “The first thing
to say about Amnesty International’s Report: Setting the Record Straight is to
thank the organisation for confirming a fact stated time and again by President
Muhammadu Buhari that the conflict between herders and farmers in Nigeria is
not about religion.
“There is equally a confirmation
by Amnesty International (AI) that it is being stoked by local politicians and
that this whole problem is about scarcity of resources.
“Beyond these, the report has
raised our concerns about the validity of their evidence-gathering. It is like
knowing the facts but drawing the wrong conclusions.
“Still, Amnesty International got
some of its facts wrong. It is not correct to state in any way that the problem
between farmers and herders is a new thing over the last three years. It has
been happening for over 100 years. Colonial Powers Britain and France had
regularly recorded these conflicts which are available in Archives.
“It is equally untrue that
government has done nothing. Alleged human rights abuses have been investigated.
Clashes have been reduced through government’s actions.
“This progress is due to the
strong determination of the administration to punish rights violators no matter
who they are, including the military through Orderly Room trials, Court Martials
and the regular courts.
“This administration has given
absolute freedom to the National Human Rights Commission and set an important
record by paying compensation to the victims of the rights abuses.
“The Apo Six, for instance, had
received compensation to the tune of N135 million. Just a few months back, the
President signed the law against torture.
“In an interim report in October
this year, the International Criminal Court, ICC, stated that:
‘The Nigerian authorities appear
to have taken concrete steps in fulfilling their primary responsibility of
investigating and prosecuting ICC crimes. While there seem to be a tangible
prospect of further proceedings against members of Boko Haram including high
level commanders, at this time, the same cannot be said of NSF in particular
since the Nigerian authorities deny any allegations against the latter.’
“Every country experiencing any
level of insecurity or insurgency either as a matter of external aggression, or
even more sensitively, internal conflict is confronted with complex and
sensitive issues. Nigeria is no exception.
“The government is very much
concerned about the sad and unfortunate loss of lives and properties, and the
collateral broken/threatened communal relationships and societal mutual trust
occasioned by attacks our nation has experienced.
“As a nation, we remain
unrelenting in securing our country, and restoring peace in troubled areas.
Although the complications that attend internal conflicts are present in
Nigeria, the courage to confront both the conflicts and their complexities
remain a matter of priority to this Administration.
“Indeed, reputable global
organisations have recognised that the efforts of our security forces, who work
tirelessly to secure our communities, are yielding results. An example of this
is the recently published Global Terrorism Index Report, 2018, which acknowledged
the effectiveness of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations, stating that:
‘Total deaths from terrorism in
Nigeria fell to 1,532 in 2017, a decrease of 16 per cent from the prior year.
The decline follows the 63 per cent drop in deaths in Nigeria in the preceding
year, and a 34 per cent drop in 2015. This highlights the effectiveness of the
counter-insurgency operations undertaken in Nigeria and its neighbours,
Cameroon, Niger and Chad.’
“Curiously, the Amnesty
International report, ‘Harvest of Death: three years of bloody clashes between
farmers and herders in Nigeria’, appears to be inconsistent with the Report
above. Global Terrorism Index Report is considered a credible source even for
Amnesty International covering the same period and the same terrain.
“However Amnesty International in
addition to stating inaccurate casualty figures misleadingly alleges that the
government has failed to protect affected communities and refused to
investigate, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of these attacks. Nothing could
be further from the truth.
“This administration has
continued to work ceaselessly to enhance security in affected parts of the
country, ensure that victims are provided with relief, and that criminals are
arrested and prosecuted. It is careless and mischievous to misrepresent the
facts and thereby mislead the public.
“Our security forces are not
going to be deterred, neither will their morale and effort be affected by any
tendentious report that mischaracterizes the important sacrifice they make to
protect citizens at great risk of injury or death.
“It is the global norm and custom
that assessors and commentators are fair and factual in their reportage and
accounts of incidents and situations so that they do not endanger the lives of
security personnel or worsen conflicts. Nonetheless, our security forces will
continue to intensify ongoing and new multi-pronged approaches to conflict
resolution.
“The Federal Government welcomes
fair and constructive assessments aimed at dousing tension and promoting mutual
communal confidence, safety and security, but rejects inflammatory statements,
reports or assessments that stoke tension and deepen mistrust and thereby
intensify conflicts and violence.
“As part of a more comprehensive
intervention and response to the violence and conflict, the Federal Government
deployed security forces to affected areas, empanelled fact-finding missions,
and repeated visits and engagement by the most senior government and security
officials/special forces including the President as well as relocating command
and control apparatus to such areas. Further, the National Economic Council
established a 10-man Committee on farmers/herdsmen clashes, headed by the Vice
President.
“These high-level security
operations and attention have led to the arrest of many people responsible for
perpetrating violence. As a result, relative calm and peace have been restored
to many communities.
“There have been 500 arrests,
with many convicted and as a result, relative peace and calm have been restored
in many of the affected areas. Of particular note was the arrest and conviction
of Alhaji Tashaku Aliyu and others who were apprehended in connection with the
killing of 2 priests and 17 worshippers at St. Ignatius Catholic Church on
April 24th, 2018 in Benue State.
“In addition, seven herdsmen that
were involved in the kidnapping of a farm owner have been sentenced to life
imprisonment by an Ondo State High Court.
“Beyond the security measures,
President Muhammadu Buhari also authorized a mechanism and released NGN10
Billion for the rehabilitation of farms and farming communities to provide
relief to affected areas. During a visit to Nasarawa State in February 2018,
the President also reiterated his condemnation of the violent conflicts and
their perpetrators and his administration’s commitment to protecting citizens
and mitigating their losses. He said:
‘I also want to assure the people
of the North Central and indeed all Nigerians that the federal government is
working day and night to ensure peace and stability return. We have deployed
additional resources to all the affected areas to maintain law and order. The
attacks by suspected herdsmen and other bandits will not be tolerated. I appeal
to all Nigerians to refrain from reprisal attacks. The security agencies have
standing instructions to arrest and prosecute any persons found with illegal
arms. I will once again express my condolences and sympathy to all the affected
victims of these barbaric acts.’
“This position was again
reiterated by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in June 2018 during his
visit to Plateau State, where he held meetings with community leaders and
condoled with the people.
“A vital component of our
successes or any success in similar conflicts is accurate reporting and
credible intelligence. We encourage reporters to be accurate and citizens to
provide information about known or even suspicious activities or persons to
ensure we succeed in preventing attacks, and eliminating this scourge.
“Finally, and in the interest of
openness, the Federal Ministry of Justice is analysing the Amnesty
International Report for further responses, and actions where applicable and
necessary.
“The Federal Government also
appeals to communities not to be provoked or inflamed by this misleading report
to seek or pursue reprisal action against others within their communities, but
to remain assured that the government will continue to take steps to secure citizens
and promote amicable conflict resolution as well as peaceful co-existence.”
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