COMMITTEE FOR THE
PROTECTION
OF PEOPLES MANDATE
(CPPM)
26a Adesina Street, Off Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos.
Telephone:
07033853232, 08023172694
25th April 2013
PRESS STATEMENT
UNITED NATIONS MUST INVESTIGATE THE BAGA GENOCIDE NOW!
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We are at a loss and find it
highly irresponsible and barbaric the lying attempt of the Nigerian military
authorities to explain how they and their foreign collaborators killed over 185
innocent human lives and uncountable casualties, destroyed about 2000 houses,
62 vehicles and 486 motorcycles in their crude methods of confronting terrorists
in this modern age of high tech intelligence.
We have observed over a long time
now since the emergence of our nascent democracy in 1999 how the Nigerian state
has been militarized and thereby resulting in the unlawful and illegal
violations of the citizens right to life and liberty by the security agencies
via their crude method of policing. The insecurity level in the country has
been further worsened by the emergence of the Boko Haram group in the North
through which the Nigerian state via the military have flagrantly violated the
fundamental human rights of Nigerians by embarking on genocide through
militarization of the entire area. It has gotten so bad that all the military
needs to justify its mass killings is to label its victims as Boko Haram
members even if it’s just an altercation between two warring parties.
It is a well known and
indisputable fact that peace cannot be engendered and maintained through the
use of force but can only be achieved through dialogue, consultation and
compromise. The militarization of our nascent democracy in the pursuit of peace
by the present administration portends grave danger if there is no rethink and
a meaningful process of dialogue in tandem with democratic norms put in place.
A very practical recent experience is the Niger Delta struggle.
The Nigerian state via its
military lack of respect for international law which emphasizes the sanctity of
human lives must be condemned by all lovers of peace as members of one civilized
human community. This much was emphasized only recently by the judicial verdict
against the Nigerian state with regards to the genocide visited on Odi
community in Bayelsa state by the Obasanjo administration from among numerous
ones.
The Committee for the Protection
of Peoples Mandate (CPPM)is hereby using this medium to call on the United Nations
(UN) not to abdicate its statutory responsibility to the people of Nigeria by
instituting an international inquiry into this mass killings since the troops
involved are made up of three (3) countries who are all members of the world
body with a view to prevent a cover up by the Nigerian state which is going
through her worst period of monumental corruption and promotion of culture of
impunity.
We are hereby calling on the
world body to ensure that the people of Baga in particular and Nigerians in general
get justice by making sure that the perpetrators of this genocide are brought
to book for crimes against humanity at the world court.
We are equally calling on the
United Nations (UN) to demand the immediate withdrawal of the Multi National
Joint task force from the zone as well as the suspension from military
activities of its commander, General Austin Edokpaye pending the findings of
its investigative body.
We are as well calling on the
United Nations (UN) to declare Baga town a humanitarian disaster zone and
mobilize men and resources to offer relief and trauma counseling to the
displaced, traumatized, injured and ruined inhabitants of the town.
We are also calling on the United
Nations (UN) to demand that the Nigerian government give befitting burial to
victims of this genocide.
Thanks,
Yours Sincerely,
Nelson Ekujumi,
Executive Chairman.
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