By Chimezie Godfrey,
A group of Civil Society Organization (CSO’s) have called on the new Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu to be fair, neutral and work for the interest of all Nigerians.
The group also urged the IGP to ensure that anyone who poses threat to peace as well as engage in activities that trigger violence, be dealt with, without fear or favour.
Led by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), the group made the call while addressing a press conference on the state of the nation on Monday in Abuja.
The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa who spoke on the dramatic rise of insecurity in the country over the past few months stated there were 3,641 deaths from January 2016 to October 2018 as a result of Boko-Haram attacks, herdsmen and farmers conflict, kidnapping and rural banditry.
On the imperative of free and fair elections, he said that Nigerians and the international community were concerned about the decline in the integrity of the electoral process.
He pointed out issues of vote-buying, manipulation by the political class and increased violence and attributed these to the failure of the President to accent to the Electoral Act, as amended.
While cautioning that failure to prioritize the electoral reform would undermine the nation’s capacity to make democratic progress, Musa condemned the attacks on the media siting the case of a reporter from Premium Times who was arrested for failing to reveal the source of his story and the Army blockade of Daily Trust offices in Maiduguri, Abuja and Lagos and arrest of their journalists.
He decried attacks on the Civil Society groups in Nigeria, citing the case of Amnesty International Nigeria, which had regularly been harassed by security agencies and some faceless rented crowds.
Musa also pointed out that the state of corruption in Nigeria has deteriorated as evidenced by Corruption Perception Index of 2017.
The Executive Chairman YIAGA Africa, Sampson Itodo stated the demands of the CSOs.
”Our security and personnel should be equipped to defend the nation and porous borders that allow insurgents from neighbouring countries to infiltrate our country and cause mayhem.
“There should be adequate transparency in the procurement if military equipment as necessary.
“There should be a ban on the pillage of national resources that is called “Security Vote”.
“The electoral processes at the Federal and sub-national level need to be free of political manipulation. The Independent National Electorate Commission (INEC) must exercise its independence and capacity to sanction breaches of the provisions of the National Electoral Act, 2010, as amended.
“Strict supervision and effective sanctioning are needed in conjunction with the pressure from the ‘grass-root’ for respectable candidates with high personal integrity and moral standing.
“We call on all political parties to strictly adhere to the Rule of Law and respect for press freedom and human rights in their dealings as the nation courses towards general elections in February.
“We call on journalists and the media to be responsible within the Rule of Law and avoid acts that could undermine the peace and security of the nation.
“We call on the military to desist from excessive show of force to intimidate civilians whenever it feels aggrieved. The Laws of Nigeria have made adequate provisions for how such should be addressed and the military should not act outside of these laws.
“We call for adequate oversight activities by relevant legislative committees in the National Assembly on the conduct of military agents across the country.
“We call on the President to reveal the findings of the Presidential Investigation Panel he established in 2017 to investigate allegations of non-compliance with human rights obligations and Rules of Engagement by the Nigerian Armed Forces in local conflicts and insurgency.
“We call on the National Assembly and anti-corruption agencies to live up to the expectations and trust placed on them by Nigerians in ensuring perpetrators of corrupt practice are brought to book, while guaranteeing adequate protection for whistle-blowing effort through enabling policies implementation and transition into legislation.
“We call on well-meaning Nigerians to support and sustain the work of CSOs to enhance the Rule of Law, social equity and justice.
“The Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) should be proactive by following up on the Suspicious Transactions Reports which banks and financial providers flag as potential laundering cases.”
The statement was signed by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), Say No Campaign (SNC), Center for Information Technology and Democracy (CITAD) and Center for Democracy, Development (CDD), Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement {YIAGA}, among others.
