Death Of Professionalism & Ethical Soldiering In The Probe & Reforms Commissions A Must Step …SBCHROs | Nairalaw

(SBCHROs, SE Nigeria: 4^th April
2019)-It is no longer news that death of professionalism
and ethical soldiering in the present Nigerian Army have risen to
an apogee and are heading to the point of irreversibility. What is
left of corporate integrity, professionalism and secular neutrality
of the NA was recently pronounced dead and buried during the
controversially rescheduled presidential and governorship polls
held in February and March 2019.

During the controversial polls as contained in several credible
local and international reports including that of INEC, soldiers of
the Nigerian Army were evidentially found to engage in sundry
electoral fraud and violence; to the extent that but for dastardly
roles of the Nigerian Army, some victors in the polls including
President-Elect, Governors-Elect and Lawmakers-Elect who brutally
subverted the sacred electoral wishes of the Nigerian electorates
to emerge declared “winners” through the barrel of gun should not
have emerged. Where the Army violence, brutality and electoral
subversion were successfully resisted by the electorates such as in
Rivers, death of scores and injuring of others was the order of the
day.

Despite these soldiering gross misconducts, the Nigerian Army
has remained shameless and boastful; to the extent that it still
goes about pouring accolades to itself and its personnel. The NA
was so unrepentant it still went about after the reported conduct
atrocities, claiming to be “professional” with intactness of
integrity. Yet the same NA has sundry war crimes and crimes against
humanity hanging around its neck; all committed from August 2015
till date. During the 2019 controversial polls, the NA directly and
directly caused the death of over 50 Nigerians including Rivers
State Government officially reported death of 35 persons. Till
date, the NA and its culpable personnel are on the prowl, with none
arrested and put on trial.

The NA and allied others had before the controversial polls of
2019 engaged in the massacre or mass killing of the following
classes of innocent and defenseless Nigerian citizens: (a) 480
unarmed Christian citizens (crimes against humanity) of Eastern
Nigeria (committed in August 2015-September 2017), (b) 236
Christian IDPs in Kale-Balge in Borno State (war crimes: Jan 2017),
(c) 50 rural Christians in Numan, Adamawa State (war crimes:
December 2017), (d) 240 civilian detainees (starvation and
torture-war crime) at Giwa Military Barracks in Borno State
(committed in 2016), (e) 1,130 members of Shiite Muslim sect in
Kaduna State (crimes against humanity: December 2015 and parts of
2016),  (f) 159 children in Northeast Nigeria (war crimes:
2017), (g) 60 members of Shiite Muslims (crimes against humanity:
September and October 2018) and (h) 50 electoral activists
(electoral violence and premeditated murders: Feb and March 2019);
all totaling 2,405 civilian deaths. Credit: Int’l Society
for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law. The list is
just to mention but a few.

As if these were not enough, the NA is still going ahead,
radicalizing and Islamizing the Nigerian Army by engaging in
massive recruitment of hundreds of “repented” Boko Haram terrorists
including its recently announced “enlistment and graduation” of 152
Boko Haram terrorists Gombe State. The NA had maintained such
illegal, unconstitutional, un-secular, bias and unethical practice
since 2016 leading to unlawful and unethical enrollment of
hundreds, if not thousands of the so called “Ex Civilian JTF” and
“repented Boko Haram fighters” into the NA;   
 contrary to clearly laid down rules governing the Nigerian
Army, its ethics and secular status.

Consequently, the Southeast Based Coalition Of Human Rights
& Democracy Organizations, SBCHROs; a coalition of more than
23 human rights and democracy organizations based
in Southeast Nigeria; is calling today in a joint statement issued
in Onitsha, Southeast Nigeria and signed by Messrs Emeka
Umeagbalasi, M.Sc., Aloysius Attah, M.Sc., Jerry Chukwuokoro, PhD,
Justice Chidi, PhD, Prof and Ms Chidinma Evan Udegbunam, LLB, BL.,
for immediate re-organization of the Nigerian Army. The
re-organization must be immediate and done by setting up the
Nigerian Army Probe Commission and the Nigerian Army Reforms or
Reorganization Commission.

In re-organizing the Nigerian Army, direly and urgently needed
to restore the confidence of all Nigerians and repositioning of
same on the path of modern military and its doctrines, all the
lopsided recruitments particularly the illegal enrolment of
insurgents and the so called “Civilian JTF members” must be looked
into and reversed with those recruited under such illegal and
unethical circumstances weeded out of the NA.

The NA must also be returned to its former path of
professionalism, secularity and ethical soldiering.  As an
interim measure, Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai and the Chief of
Defense Staff, who have remained in their positions since July
2015; with their office tenure beclouded by incompetence and
mountainous conduct atrocities, must be weeded out; to be followed
by massive retirement of all the serving Major Gens (including
GOCs) and Brigade Commanders, headed by Brig Gens. The exercise
should be carried out within the confines of Doctrine of Necessity
or be treated as issue of urgent national importance.

There shall also be massive retirement of present crop of senior
Army officers from the rank of Major Gen and where in any senior
ranking category such as Brig Gens or Colonels, it is found that
such senior ranking is grossly lopsided or occupied or dominated by
officers of Hausa-Fulani Muslim, or Southwest Christian/Muslim, or
South-south/Southeast Christian, or Middle Belt Christian
backgrounds, etc; there shall be mass retirement of same and
adequate payment of compensation to the retirees so as to pave way
for balancing the imbalances. This special exercise must be
extended to other branches of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Police
and Paramilitaries.

The new Nigerian Army of our expectation must not be
“Nigerian Army of Islamic logo or symbol” but that with its logo or
symbol written in Nigeria’s lingua franca. It must also not be
Nigerian Army of ethnic cleansers and religious zealots or Nigerian
Army of ballot box snatchers, fake election result
writers/adulterators, hostage holders of election chief returning
officers, preventers and intimidators of independent voters,
controllers of peaceful assemblers with live/deadly bullets and
committers of war crimes and crimes against humanity,
etc.

We boldly and patriotically take this advocacy position with
attendant call bearing in mind that the present central Government
of Nigeria is widely criticized as cabal led with its President not
office coordinated and in charge including not listening to voices
of the social change and its agents; yet it can never stop us from
saying or doing what is right in our priceless quest for better
society and advancement of democracy, human rights and due process
in Nigeria or any part thereof.

Bearing in mind that Nigeria is not an island of its own but a
strong reliant on comity of civilized and advanced nations for
survival, growth and development; we are by this informed position,
placing the ball in the court of members of the international
democracies and UN to put sustained pressure on the present central
Government of Nigeria to get things done right in the country
particularly the reorganization of Army and allied others.

With over $1billion in humanitarian, military and development
aids from western democracies alone annually and billions of
dollars worth of arms trade and other non military trades with
Nigeria on annual basis, we have no doubt in our mind that the
pressure under demand shall prevail if applied fully.

That is to say that further aids, military trade and others with
Nigeria should be tied to holistic reorganization of the Nigerian
Army and allied others and bringing to book of all the perpetrators
of the conduct atrocities highlighted above. The int’l democracies
are further urged to add visa ban and property seizure and
international border arrest and prosecution of the named
perpetrators including Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, the COAS.

Jointly Signed

By:

Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights &
Democracy Organizations (SBCHROs)

Special Contacts:

• Emeka Umeagbalasi-08174090052
• Aloysius Emeka Attah-08035090548
• Jerry Chukwuokoro, PhD- 08035372962
• Prof Justice Chidi-08039100804
• Chidinma Udegbunam Evan, Esq.-08103244902

Groups In The Coalition:

1. Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law
   (Onitsha), 2. CLO, Southeast Zone (Enugu), 3. CLO, Anambra State
   Branch (Onitsha), 4. Forum for Promotion of National Ethos &
   Values (Enugu), 5. Igbo Ekunie Initiative (United Kingdom), 6.
   Int’l Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights Initiative (Enugu),
   7. Foundation for Environmental Rights, 8. Advocacy & Dev
   (Aba), 9. Society for Economic Rights & Social Justice (Aba),
   10. Human Rights Organization of Nigeria (Onitsha), 11. Center for
   Human Rights & Peace Advocacy (Onitsha), 12. Southeast Good
   Governance Forum (Awka), 13. Society Watch & Advocacy Project
   (of Intersociety) (Onitsha), 14. Initiative for Ideal Dev &
   Emancipatory Leadership in Nigeria (Aba), 15. Igbo National Council
   (Owerri), 16. Anambra Human Rights Forum (Awka), 17. Voice of the
   Voiceless Int’l (Awka), 18. Easy Life Initiative for Rural Youths
   (Aba), 19. Community Empowerment Network (Aba), 20. Southeast
   Movement against Transactional Politics & Profligacy (Awka),
   21. Prof Justice Chidi (Southeast Academia) and 22. Neighborhood
   Environmental Watch Foundation (Abakiliki) and 23. Citizens for
   Righteousness & Social Justice (Owerri).