…Allegations on human rights violation spurious – Army
From: TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The Amnesty International (AI), on Monday, boycotted the Presidential Investigative Panel’s invitation to appear before it in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Presidential panel had been asked to review compliance of the Armed Forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement.
The nine-man panel headed by Justice Biobele Georgewill, had invited the Amnesty International, to appear before it and substantiate some of the allegations it made on human right violation against the military, especially the Nigerian Army.
In his opening remarks, Chairman of the Panel, Justice Georgewill, said the Amnesty International was invited to appear before the panel during its sitting in Maiduguri, Borno State, but no representatives from the organization honoured the invitation.
He stated that the panel also notified the watchdog about its sitting in Port Harcourt from September 25 to 28, but that the Amnesty International shunned the invitation.
Georgewill further said that the essence of the invitation was to give an opportunity to Amnesty International to substantiate some of the allegations of human rights violation made against the military in the North East, stressing that the organisation still has the opportunity to appear before the panel in its subsequent sitting in Kaduna, Lagos and Enugu.
Justice Georgewill stated that the panel was mandated to review extent of rules of engagement applicable in the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the extent of compliance as to investigate alleged acts of violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria .
Other terms of reference of the panel, according to Justice Georgewill, is to investigate matters of conduct and discipline in the Armed Forces in local conflicts and insurgencies.
“We are mandated to recommend means of preventing violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in conflict situations and to make recommendations in line with these terms of reference as may be deemed necessary.
“This is, in deed, a unique opportunity for all those who have genuine and verifiable cases of alleged human rights abuses by the Armed Forces in the course of managing and containing local conflicts and insurgencies in this country to explore this avenue presented by the federal government to submit their memorandum and to present verifiable evidence “, he said.
The chairman also said the panel had since its inauguration, sent out as well as publish a call for memoranda from members of the public and other organisations.
He said that the panel has been receiving memoranda from across the country saying that it has planned to hold public hearing in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Earlier in his presentation, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Major General Enogbong Udoh, claimed that most of the allegations of human rights violation made by the Amnesty International were spurious.
He accused Amnesty International of making unsubstantiated allegations against the Nigerian Army.