A civil society group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (INTERSOCIETY), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to compensate victims of rights violations in the country the sum of $5 billion. The group made the call in Ezinifite Anambra state while presenting its report of alleged human rights abuses and extra-judicial killings committed by the Buhari administration in the past 20 months.
The report mainly harped on the alleged killing of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria; slain members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and other pro-Biafra agitators, the Kaduna killings and what the group called “custody killing” by the Nigerian security forces.
According to the Board of Trustees Chairman of INTERSOCIETY, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi; “over 11000 unlawful deaths were recorded in the said 20 months”.
The group also said that the Buhari-Federal Government of Nigeria should arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the heinous crime within the period under review.
The report reads in part “The Buhari Administration/Federal Government of Nigeria should set aside $5bn for adequate compensation of over 1750 victims of state murders and 4000 victims of Police SARS/Army custodial killings as well as not less than 28000 unarmed Christians killed by Nomad Fulani Jihadists between June 2015 and January 2017.
“The $5billion State Crime Victims Compensation Scheme, which will be subject to 50 percent upward review every five years ; should be divided into four categories of : $1bn to members or families and group-victims (IPOB) of over 270 slain members of IPOB and other Pro-Biafra Campaigners; $500m to over 370 terminally shot and injured Pro-Biafra Campaigners; $1.5bn to 1120 slain members of the Shiite Muslims and their IMN as well as $500m for 400 of their members terminally shot and wounded.
“The sum of $500m should be set aside by the Buhari Government/Federal Government of Nigeria through its Ministry of Police Affairs for compensation of 4000 victims who may most likely have been slain in the past 20 months, by way of custodial killings arising from torture and willful custodial shootings.
“This should be done on the basis of proper identification of dead victims by their immediate families and lawyers. The remaining $1bn should be paid by the Buhari Government to the families and the churches of over 2800 dead Christians who are victims of the Nomad Fulani Jihadists in Nigeria since June 2015.
“This is one account off the Buhari Government’s vicarious culpability, by way of aiding and abetting. As the national grand patron of “the Miyetti Allah Breeders Association of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari appeared to have allowed personal sentiments to becloud his official position as the father of the country and protector of every citizen irrespective of his or her ethn-oreligious and age background or identity.
“Till date, no investigations into the killing of Christians have been carried out and concluded and the perpetrators are still on the prowl”, the group said.
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