Amnesty International has called on the federal government to release the report of a presidential panel which investigated alleged human rights abuses committed by the military.
Osai Ojigho, the organisation’s country director, said the
failure to release the report three years after it was submitted to the
presidency is a setback for the rule of law.
The international rights watchdog and other organisations
had indicted the military of abuses under Nigerian and international laws in
the course of its operations.
But no major action has been taken about the issue since
then.
In a statement on Friday, Amnesty International asked the
government to immediately release the report to ensure justice for victims of
such violations.
Ojigho said: “The failure of Nigerian authorities to release
the report of the Presidential Panel that purportedly investigated compliance
of armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement, three
years after the report was submitted to the President is a gross display of
contempt for victims.
“Many Nigerians
showed incredible courage to testify to the panel, in the hope that, at the end
it will lead to justice. But three years is so long and too long for victims to
continue waiting for the release of the panel’s report; which is a key step to
justice for victims.
“We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfill the
promise he made in 2015 to end impunity by immediately releasing the report.
Victims and the larger public in Nigeria deserve to see and scrutinize the
findings.
“Previous such investigations have ended up without any
tangible outcome on the side of justice. Nigerian authorities have the duty to
ensure that the country’s security forces comply with international law
obligations and ensure prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations
of all allegations of violations.
“Failure to disclose the report of the panel, an important
first step towards justice, is a shameful betrayal of these victims and another
marker of the lack of political will by Nigerian authorities to bring alleged
perpetrators to justice.
“It is an abysmal
failure, a devastating setback for rule of law that only perpetuates the
culture of impunity which so pervasive in Nigeria.”
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