The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has been asked to prevail on the military not to deploy its personnel during the Bayelsa and Kogi State governorship elections.
A group known as Concerned Nigerians urged NHRC to avert impending human rights abuse by stopping the military from deploying its men during the forthcoming elections.
In a letter addressed to the head of NHRC by its convener, Deji Adeyanju, the group reminded the body of the dangers of military involvement in Nigeria’s political affairs.
The letter is entitled ‘Preventing Human Rights Violations during the forthcoming governorship elections and the implications of using military personnel in Bayelsa and Kogi.”
It read, “The National Human Rights Commission is empowered to “deal with all matters relating to the promotion and protection of human rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Including before, during and after the elections. We are aware that the commission is doing a lot in a terribly stressed country with daily violations of rights, and we indeed commend you.
“We write to inform the commission that it has a strategic role to play in our electoral processes to proactively prevent human rights violations during the forthcoming off-season governorship elections, and most notably, to quickly appraise the danger of using military personnel in Bayelsa and Kogi State.
“The commission may recall that the last general election was characterized by violence and various forms of human rights violations as most post-election reports suggested that the military and other security agencies were used in several instances to harass, hound, intimidate and prevent voters from exercising their franchise, while the electoral officials were obstructed from carrying out their legitimate duties.
“We are worried that the Nigerian Army, saddled with the responsibility to protect our territorial integrity and ensure peace among warring parties, has become obviously partisan, undermining decades of reputation built as a professional military body.
“The commission must be aware of the danger posed by the increasing role of the Nigerian Military in our electoral processes and democracy, and urgently take a proactive step this time around to address their conducts and behaviours as election concerns mount.
“There is a subsisting court judgement that bars the military from being deployed for the conduct of our elections and we urge the NHRC to take this issue up with the authorities concerned in the Presidency and the Military leadership.
“We are therefore obliged to inform this commission, due to several reports and complaints that our organization has received since 2015 on the reckless activities of some surveillance contractors to oil services and oil companies in Bayelsa, many of whom are largely military officers, that soldiers should not be deployed for the conduct of election in that state and elsewhere.
“A painful and heart-wrenching case that our organizations received was that of Godknows Okoloko, a native of Ondewari community in Southern Ijaw Local government area of Bayelsa state, who narrated how his 20-year-old son, Konbowei Godknows was brutally murdered by armed agents working with one Darlon Security and Guards Limited whom are Oil pipeline surveillance contractors to Nigerian Agip Oil Company LTD, (NAOC).
“According to the father of the deceased, the security personnel on that faithful day invaded their community in search of some persons who were alleged to have vandalized pipelines at Opubaye, a neighbouring community close to Ondewari, and while the search was on, Mr. Godknows recalled that the military officers started shooting indiscriminately and recklessly and in the process, his son, a 20-year-old who was fishing got shot and died.
“Another sordid account was that of Mr. Rufus Frank, a businessman from Ondewari community in Southern Ijaw, who in a petition made available to our organization, also narrated how his son, Mr. Diete Frank, a final year student of the Federal Polytechnic Ozoror, Delta State was brutally murdered by the armed military personnel working for same Darlon Security and Guards Limited.
“There was also a depressing story of the Nigerian military brutality of how Godspower Christopher, an indigene of Ondewari community in Southern Ijaw local government whose leg got amputated after a bullet from an indiscriminate and reckless shooting by military officers that invaded their community in search of hoodlums that allegedly vandalized oil pipelines cut through Mr. Christopher’s right leg and also hit the left leg.
“The commission will recall what happened in Rivers State earlier this year, when soldiers deployed for elections used the power of gun to attempt to undermine the election process, and in the process several persons were gruesomely murdered.
“We pray this commission to as a matter of urgency swing into action and avert this impending human rights violation that the involvement of the military might have on the forthcoming Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections.
“Various reports by local and international observers on the last general elections did suggest that the outcome does not reflect the will of the people as there were cases of voter intimidation and suppression in many places. There were also reports of military going round collation centres helping to compromise the electoral process.
“The inability of the Nigerian Military to deal effectively with the Boko Haram insurgents and other security challenges in the country could be partly down to the erosion of professionalism in the military as they become more involved in conducts that undermine their primary duties.
“We urge the commission not to wait until the people’s rights are violated before it acts, and it must be proactive and involved in ensuring that the people of Bayelsa and Kogi vote without any form of interference and intimidation.
“While there are already insinuations that there will be a massive presence of military during the election, we, therefore, urge the NHRC to step forward to prevail on the authorities from the position of human rights concern. We suggest that the Commission should be part of the regular INEC initiative signing of PEACE PACT between the major political actors in Bayelsa and Kogi to douse tension.
“The Nigerian Military is a revered and independent institution that must act responsibly and autonomously without any interference from vested interests and anti-democratic forces. They must be encouraged to face the security challenges in the North East and other parts of Nigeria where they are mostly needed.”
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