Officials of the Nigerian Army made concerted efforts to cover up the mass slaughter of over 350 Nigerian citizens, including women and children, between December 12-14, 2015, in Zaria, Amnesty International has said.
In a newly-released report about the killing, which involved members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, Amnesty International said it was able to uncover evidence of a possible mass grave in Zaria neighbourhood of Mando with the aid of satellite imaging.
The report, titled: “Unearthing the truth: Unlawful killings and mass cover-up in Zaria”, is based on interviews with 92 people, including victims, witnesses from the Shi’ite and other communities, relatives of victims, residents of the areas where the incidents took place, lawyers and medical personnel and contains shocking eyewitness testimony of large-scale unlawful killings by the Nigerian military and exposes a crude attempt by the authorities to destroy and conceal evidence.
“The true horror of what happened over those two days in Zaria is only now coming to light. Bodies were left littered in the streets and piled outside the mortuary. Some of the injured were burned alive,” said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for Africa.
“Our research, based on witness testimonies and analysis of satellite images, has located one possible mass grave. It is time now for the military to come clean and admit where it secretly buried hundreds of bodies.”
The massacre of Shi’ites and continued detention of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, have earned the Nigerian government widespread international condemnation, including a probe by the International Criminal Court.
In February, the Islamic Human Rights Commission, IHRC, a United Kingdom-based Muslim advocacy organisation, has dragged President Muhammadu Buhari, the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, the chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai, to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the massacre.
The organisation also asked the ICC to investigate the emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, and the emir of Zaria, Shehu Idris, for human rights violation and crimes against humanity.
Other army officers and persons the IHRC asked the ICC to probe for their roles in the massacre are: spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Adeniyi Oyebade, the Commander Nigerian Depot, Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin, Director Military Intelligence, Chief of Defence intelligence – AVM Riku Morgan, AK Ibrahim – Commander 1 Division Garrison, Nigerian Army, Kaduna and Col. F.M Babayo.
The rest are Capt Ben, Adjutant Depot, Nigerian Army; Adeniyi Oyebade, General Officer Commanding, 1 Division Garrison Kaduna; Umar Labdo; Sambo Rigachukun; Bala Lau; Yahaya Jingir and; Kabir Gombe.
In a detailed report, the IHRC argued that attacks of the army on members of IMN between December 12 and 14 in Zaria qualify as crime against humanity and therefore called on the ICC to initiate an investigation into the incident.
In April, the ICC announced the commencement of detailed investigation into the killings.
According to Amnesty International’s findings, more than 350 people are believed to have been unlawfully killed by the military between 12 and 14 December, following a confrontation between members of IMN and soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna State.
IMN supporters – some armed with batons, knives, and machetes – had refused to clear the road near their headquarters, the Hussainiyya, for a military convoy to pass. The army has claimed that IMN supporters attacked the convoy in an attempt to assassinate the Chief of Army Staff. IMN members deny this.
Some people were killed as a result of the indiscriminate fire while others appeared to have been deliberately targeted, Mr. Belay said.
The report highlighted the agony of relatives of the victims of the massacre, which the federal government has continued to deny.
Zainab, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, was quoted by Amnesty International: “We were in our school uniforms. My friend Nusaiba Abdullahi was shot in her forehead. We took her to a house where they treated the injured but, before reaching the house, she already died.
The cover-up
Amnesty International said after the incident, the military sealed off the areas around El-Zakzaky’s compound, the Hussainiyya and other locations. Bodies were taken away, sites were razed to the ground, the rubble removed, bloodstains washed off, and bullets and spent cartridge removed from the streets.
Witnesses saw piles of bodies outside the morgue of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria. A senior medical source told Amnesty International that the military sealed off the area around the morgue for two days. During that time he saw army vehicles “coming and going”.
A witness described to Amnesty International what he saw outside the hospital mortuary on the evening of 14 December: “It was dark and from far I could only see a big mound but when I got closer I saw it was a huge pile of corpses on top of each other. I have never seen so many dead bodies. I got very scared and run away. It was a terrible sight and I can’t get it out of my mind.”
Another witness told the organisation how he had seen diggers excavating holes at the site of the suspected mass grave: “There were five or six large trucks and several smaller military vehicles and they spent hours digging and unloading the trucks’ cargo into the hole they dug and then covered it again with the earth they had dug out. They were there from about 1 or 2 am until about 5 am. I don’t know what they buried. It looked like bodies, but I could not get near.”
Amnesty International identified and visited the location of a possible mass grave near Mando. Satellite images of the site taken on 2 November and 24 December 2015 show disturbed earth spanning an area of approximately 1000 square metres. Satellite pictures also show the complete destruction of buildings and mosques.
“It is clear that the military not only used unlawful and excessive force against men, women and children, unlawfully killing hundreds, but then made considerable efforts to try to cover-up these crimes,” said Netsanet Belay.
“Four months after the massacre the families of the missing are still awaiting news of their loved ones. A full independent forensic investigation is long overdue. The bodies must be exhumed, the incident must be impartially and independently investigated and those responsible must be held to account.”
On Monday 25 April, the military are expected to give evidence to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry established by the Kaduna State Government in January 2016.
On 11 April, a Kaduna State government official told the Judicial Commission of Inquiry that the bodies of 347 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) were collected from the hospital mortuary and an army depot in Zaria and buried secretly in a mass grave near Mando (outside the town of Kaduna) on the night of 14-15 December.
The IMN claim a further 350 people who went missing during the incidents in Zaria remain unaccounted for.
IMN leader Al-Zakzaky and his wife Zeinat Al-Zakzaky were arrested and held incommunicado. They were only allowed access to their lawyer for the first time on 1 April 2015, three and a half months after their arrest.
Amnesty International called for those IMN supporters charged in connection with this incident to be tried promptly and fairly and for those still held in detention without charge to be either immediately charged or released.
The group also urged the Nigerian government to thoroughly investigate the killings and punish those responsible without recourse to death the penalty.
Premium Times
Friday, April 22, 2016
U.S. to help Nigeria fix fuel crisis
The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, on Thursday promised that the U.S Embassy in Nigeria would offer technical assistance to help Nigeria solve its lingering challenge of fuel scarcity.
Ms. Power made the promise on Thursday in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists during her visit to the minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
“Just last night when I was coming from the airport, I saw long lines at petrol stations here in Nigeria.
“And I really feel for the people of this country, who are going through this difficult economic time.
“And I think this is something the embassy has promised to offer whatever technical advice, counsel and technical assistance that we can offer.
“But we know that some of the best minds in Nigeria are thinking about that, including the ministers in this government,” she said.
Ms. Power said the U.S would discuss with Nigeria on diversification of its economy.
She said the drop in oil prices had caused hardship for countries that are oil dependent.
The envoy, who had earlier met with some civil society organisations, said the meeting deliberated on the deteriorating condition in Northern Nigeria due to the threat posed by Boko Haram insurgency.
She attributed the poor condition in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria to economic hardship exacerbated by the insurgency since inter-city trade had been hampered.
“In terms of our meeting with civil society, Nigerian civil society is one of the most vibrant, articulate and rigorous in the world.
“What we heard a lot about was the questions of how the conditions in the north are deteriorating because of the threat posed by Boko Haram.
“The economic hardship in the region has been exacerbated by the presence of Boko Haram and trade across the border has now come to virtual standstill.
“We heard about very difficult humanitarian conditions in Northern Nigeria and we will travel to Northern Nigeria tomorrow (Friday) and we will try to get a feel of it for first hand,” she said.
The envoy said the meeting with civil society organizations also focused on what more could be done on abductions and kidnappings, particularly of Chibok girls.
She said the issue would be discussed with the federal government by sharing whatever information at the disposal of the US government in a timely manner.
Ms. Power made the promise on Thursday in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists during her visit to the minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
“Just last night when I was coming from the airport, I saw long lines at petrol stations here in Nigeria.
“And I really feel for the people of this country, who are going through this difficult economic time.
“And I think this is something the embassy has promised to offer whatever technical advice, counsel and technical assistance that we can offer.
“But we know that some of the best minds in Nigeria are thinking about that, including the ministers in this government,” she said.
Ms. Power said the U.S would discuss with Nigeria on diversification of its economy.
She said the drop in oil prices had caused hardship for countries that are oil dependent.
The envoy, who had earlier met with some civil society organisations, said the meeting deliberated on the deteriorating condition in Northern Nigeria due to the threat posed by Boko Haram insurgency.
She attributed the poor condition in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria to economic hardship exacerbated by the insurgency since inter-city trade had been hampered.
“In terms of our meeting with civil society, Nigerian civil society is one of the most vibrant, articulate and rigorous in the world.
“What we heard a lot about was the questions of how the conditions in the north are deteriorating because of the threat posed by Boko Haram.
“The economic hardship in the region has been exacerbated by the presence of Boko Haram and trade across the border has now come to virtual standstill.
“We heard about very difficult humanitarian conditions in Northern Nigeria and we will travel to Northern Nigeria tomorrow (Friday) and we will try to get a feel of it for first hand,” she said.
The envoy said the meeting with civil society organizations also focused on what more could be done on abductions and kidnappings, particularly of Chibok girls.
She said the issue would be discussed with the federal government by sharing whatever information at the disposal of the US government in a timely manner.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Nigerian military says Boko Haram luring young people with loans
Boko Haram is luring young people by giving them loans as a bait for membership, the Nigerian military warned.
As part of the "clandestine dispensation," the terror group is offering loans to young entrepreneurs in the country's troubled northeast as part of recruitment, the military said in a statement Wednesday.
Butchers, traders, tailors, beauticians and other vocational entrepreneurs are major targets of the "unholy business engagement," it said.
"After such loans, the beneficiaries are given the option of either joining the group or risk being killed if they fail to pay the loan as at when due," the military said. "The payment has been surreptitiously programmed to fail by the benefactor, the Boko Haram."
Authorities urged residents to avoid loans or financial assistance from nonconventional sources.
Boko Haram's desperation to recruit members shows the sustained offensive by government forces is working, the military said.
But critics say the government has not been as effective in fighting the terror group. Last week marked the two-year anniversary of Boko Haram's abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok.
Most of the girls are still held captive, forcefully married to Boko Haram fighters, and in some cases used as suicide bombers. CNN obtained exclusive footage last week that shows some of the girls are alive. While the video was sent to negotiators by their captors as a "proof of life," the government did not act on it at the time.
Boko Haram, which means western education is a sin in the local Hausa language, has become the deadliest terror group for its attacks in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. It has killed more people than ISIS, which it reportedly pledged allegiance to, according to the Global Terrorism Index.
The group is blamed for attacks on government targets as well as schools, mosques and churches.
It aims to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Nigeria.
As part of the "clandestine dispensation," the terror group is offering loans to young entrepreneurs in the country's troubled northeast as part of recruitment, the military said in a statement Wednesday.
Butchers, traders, tailors, beauticians and other vocational entrepreneurs are major targets of the "unholy business engagement," it said.
"After such loans, the beneficiaries are given the option of either joining the group or risk being killed if they fail to pay the loan as at when due," the military said. "The payment has been surreptitiously programmed to fail by the benefactor, the Boko Haram."
Authorities urged residents to avoid loans or financial assistance from nonconventional sources.
Boko Haram's desperation to recruit members shows the sustained offensive by government forces is working, the military said.
But critics say the government has not been as effective in fighting the terror group. Last week marked the two-year anniversary of Boko Haram's abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok.
Most of the girls are still held captive, forcefully married to Boko Haram fighters, and in some cases used as suicide bombers. CNN obtained exclusive footage last week that shows some of the girls are alive. While the video was sent to negotiators by their captors as a "proof of life," the government did not act on it at the time.
Boko Haram, which means western education is a sin in the local Hausa language, has become the deadliest terror group for its attacks in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. It has killed more people than ISIS, which it reportedly pledged allegiance to, according to the Global Terrorism Index.
The group is blamed for attacks on government targets as well as schools, mosques and churches.
It aims to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Nigeria.
Video - Released video show some of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls still alive
A newly-surfaced video is giving Nigerian families hope that children kidnapped by Boko Haram are still alive.
Nigeria to start paying salaries by the 25th of every month
The Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF, Ahmed Idris, says the federal government plans to begin payment of staff salaries by the 25th of every month as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr. Idris, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, said “this is going to be given a test, I believe, by this month”.
The AGF also said the government was working on a new arrangement, which, if approved, would ensure payment of the salaries before the monthly meeting of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC.
According to him, salaries are usually paid after the FAAC meeting, where revenue accruing to the federation’s account is shared among the federal, state and local governments.
“There is a standing instruction of Mr President to pay salary on or before 24 or 25 of every month and we will try as much as possible to comply and to abide by that.
“We are taking a step further to make a provision whereby we can accommodate salary payments even before FAAC.
“This is going to be given a test I believe by this month.
“We will go to seek necessary approval of our political masters to make sure that at least salary and other statutory payments are made even before FAAC.
“Because we can project how much they are and therefore we can prepare and hit the ground running to make them realisable and actualised.
“Even when we delay FAAC, we can still pay salary,” he said.
Mr. Idris dispelled the widely held belief that the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy was responsible for the delay in the payment of salaries and attributed the situation to the crash in global oil prices, which affected the inflow of income to the country.
“Nigeria is practically making about 30 to 40 per cent of what it used to make by way of revenue from oil and that has affected inflow generally.
“These inflows are what the federal, state and local governments receive to service the economy.
“It is when we receive these resources and sit at the end of the month for FAAC that the resources are shared among the three tiers of government,’’ he said.
Citing the benefits of TSA, Mr. Idris said more than N2.7 trillion had been realised under a single account domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He also said the cost of borrowing by government agencies had been reduced substantially and that the economy was already a beneficiary of the policy.
“The monies are stimulating the economy in a way that delivery of social goods, services and efficiency in government expenditure are being achieved.
“So I believe that they are already serving the purpose for which they are meant and they are within the economy,” he said.
He said he was optimistic having seen the benefits of the TSA policy to the Federal Government, states governments would key into it.
Mr. Idris said any insinuations that the policy would lead to laying off of staff by deposit money banks was unfounded as the policy was not intended to disrupt the operations of those banks.
He, therefore, advised commercial banks to re-strategise on how to make profit without relying on government funds.
“I think banks need to really focus themselves and re-direct themselves to face traditional banking business and not rely heavily on public resources.
“They should be more strategic and focused and I believe that they will be better for it,” he said.
The TSA policy was introduced in September 2015 to ensure that government’s resources are centralised in a single account.
It was introduced to block leakages in the system to ensure transparency and efficiency in the management of government resources.
Mr. Idris, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, said “this is going to be given a test, I believe, by this month”.
The AGF also said the government was working on a new arrangement, which, if approved, would ensure payment of the salaries before the monthly meeting of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC.
According to him, salaries are usually paid after the FAAC meeting, where revenue accruing to the federation’s account is shared among the federal, state and local governments.
“There is a standing instruction of Mr President to pay salary on or before 24 or 25 of every month and we will try as much as possible to comply and to abide by that.
“We are taking a step further to make a provision whereby we can accommodate salary payments even before FAAC.
“This is going to be given a test I believe by this month.
“We will go to seek necessary approval of our political masters to make sure that at least salary and other statutory payments are made even before FAAC.
“Because we can project how much they are and therefore we can prepare and hit the ground running to make them realisable and actualised.
“Even when we delay FAAC, we can still pay salary,” he said.
Mr. Idris dispelled the widely held belief that the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy was responsible for the delay in the payment of salaries and attributed the situation to the crash in global oil prices, which affected the inflow of income to the country.
“Nigeria is practically making about 30 to 40 per cent of what it used to make by way of revenue from oil and that has affected inflow generally.
“These inflows are what the federal, state and local governments receive to service the economy.
“It is when we receive these resources and sit at the end of the month for FAAC that the resources are shared among the three tiers of government,’’ he said.
Citing the benefits of TSA, Mr. Idris said more than N2.7 trillion had been realised under a single account domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He also said the cost of borrowing by government agencies had been reduced substantially and that the economy was already a beneficiary of the policy.
“The monies are stimulating the economy in a way that delivery of social goods, services and efficiency in government expenditure are being achieved.
“So I believe that they are already serving the purpose for which they are meant and they are within the economy,” he said.
He said he was optimistic having seen the benefits of the TSA policy to the Federal Government, states governments would key into it.
Mr. Idris said any insinuations that the policy would lead to laying off of staff by deposit money banks was unfounded as the policy was not intended to disrupt the operations of those banks.
He, therefore, advised commercial banks to re-strategise on how to make profit without relying on government funds.
“I think banks need to really focus themselves and re-direct themselves to face traditional banking business and not rely heavily on public resources.
“They should be more strategic and focused and I believe that they will be better for it,” he said.
The TSA policy was introduced in September 2015 to ensure that government’s resources are centralised in a single account.
It was introduced to block leakages in the system to ensure transparency and efficiency in the management of government resources.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)