Buhari To Act On Amnesty International Report
I Must Act On Amnesty International Report, PMB Insists
Saved under Headline, Nigeria, WESTERN AFRICA
Tags: Abuse, Governance, human rights, Law, Legal Affairs, Muhammadu Buhari
Please follow & like us :)
President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his resolve to act on the report released recently by Amnesty International, which alleged gross human rights abuses against some army chiefs in the ongoing war against Boko Haram.
In the report released last week, the global human rights stated that it was in possession of sufficient evidence to drag five top ranking officers in the Nigeria Army before the International Criminal Court for war crimes in the ongoing battle against insurgents.
President Buhari had, on the same day, acknowledged receipt of the Amnesty International report, saying he will leave no stone unturned in promoting the rule of law and deal with all cases of human rights abuses if the allegations contained in the report are confirmed to be true.
The president yesterday reiterated his earlier stance that he will act on the report, noting however that the report would have to wait until the incoming would-be Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) studies it and advises government on the action it should take.
A statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu to this effect noted that the incoming AGF recommendations will be “in addition to the internal inquiry he asked the armed services to undertake by themselves”.
The statement made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend states: “President Muhammadu Buhari has once again given assurance that his government will closely study the report released recently by Amnesty International, in which top ranking officers of the Nigerian military were accused of gross abuse of human rights.
“The president is quite disturbed by the allegations contained in the report. The next step is to look into the allegations and confirm or disprove the disturbing details.
“President Buhari has already determined that one of the first assignments of the incoming Attorney General of the Federation would be to look into the Amnesty International report and advise the government on an appropriate course of action”, Shehu added.
The presidential media aide also emphasised the President’s commitment to human rights as well as his promise that there would be no human rights abuses under his government.
“Any allegation of human rights abuse that takes place during the tenure of President Buhari’s government will be swiftly investigated and dealt with”, he noted.
Attends AU Summit In S’Africa Today
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari will today (Saturday), leave Abuja for South to attend the 25th African Union Summit, which is currently taking place in Johannesburg.
A statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, noted that Buhari “will be undertaking his first continental assignment since taking office by chairing the meeting of the Peace and Security Committee of the AU summit, which will hold on Saturday, the day of his arrival.
“He will also be holding a number of bilateral meetings that will consolidate his ongoing drive to secure Nigeria and the neighboring countries from Boko Haram”, he added.
Noting that the theme of this year’s AU meeting is itself the issue of security, Adesina added that “President Buhari will return to Nigeria on the morning of Tuesday next week.”
