General Muhammadu Buhari
Lawyer, activists accuse APC candidate of violence
A non-governmental group, the Northern Coalition for Democracy and Justice (NCDJ) on Thursday said it had commenced moves to file a case against presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari over the 2011 post election violence.
Lawyer, activists accuse APC candidate of violence
A non-governmental group, the Northern Coalition for Democracy and Justice (NCDJ) on Thursday said it had commenced moves to file a case against presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari over the 2011 post election violence.
The coalition, in a statement jointly signed by its Secretary General,
Umar Farouk, Publicity Secretary, Yunanan Shibkau, Organising Secretary,
Baba Nagari , Secretary Research and Documentation, Dr. Ibrahim Baba
and Secretary International Affairs, Abdulazeez Suleiman, said they had
ample evidence to support the call for prosecution of Buhari at the
International Criminal Court (ICC).
Buhari had been accused by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of making
inciting comments that might have fuelled the post-election violence
that occurred in 2011.
According to the group, the complaint is a follow-up to an earlier one submitted by NCDJ to the ICC in May 2011.
“There are ample video, audio and documented evidence to support a
prosecution against Buhar who incidentally is going into the
presidential race once again with an attendant mounting apprehension
particularly recent statement credited to him and some of his allies.
“The growing incidence of ethnocentrism, intolerance, intimidation,
religions, regional communal and political violence are largely caused
by intense competition over wealth and power by elites desperately
craving to triumph above and over their political rivals by all means.
When asked to explain the reason and timing of their move, one of the
leaders of the group, Ibrahim Baba, said the move to prosecute the
former Head of State for the 2011 post election violence has become
necessary to serve as caution not only to Buhari who is in the race
again for presidency but others so that everyone will stare clear of
inciting rethorics during campaigns.
“Let us reiterate that our interest in this matter is purely to
safeguard our democracy so that elected representatives can only emerge
through due process. This is the only way the governed would benefit
from the dividends of democracy in our country.
Also explaining the reason for by-passing the country’s system to drag
Buhari before the ICC, Yunanan Shibkau said “due to state of Nigeria’s
sick legal system and the Orwellian conduct of some of the men in the
temple of justice necessitated our resolve to facilitate prosecution
processes at the jurisdiction of ICC prosecutors”.
While throwing more light on the ICC case, the counsel of the group,
Prof. Groan Shuitter, said “based on the available evidence, there are
compelling reasons to believe that crimes against humanity including
murder, torture, rape, forcible population transfer, persecution and
other inhumane acts were committed in the context of
politically-motivated Sectarian violence that immediately followed the
Nigerian presidential elections of April 2011.”
He said due to the seriousness of the crimes and lack of an adequate
response by the Nigerian authorities, the prosecutor of the ICC would be
asked to conduct investigations into the alleged acts and their
perpetrators, in particular Buhari.
Shuitter said he was in the country to formally consult with NCDJ and to sensitise members of the public on the matter.
Shuitter said he was in the country to formally consult with NCDJ and to sensitise members of the public on the matter.
The counsel said the evidence so far collected suggests that the
highly inflammatory public comments made by Buhari prior to, during and
immediately following the elections, led directly to the deaths of over
800 people and the displacement of more than 65,000individual in April
2011.
Shuitter, a partner at the Amsterdam law firm of Prakken d’Oliveirs
Human Rights Lawyer and lawyer practicing at the ICC said he will in a
very short notice file a complaint to the office of the prosecutor of
the ICC in the Hague.
He said the complaint will be filed on behalf of the Northern
Coalition for Democracy and Justice (NCDJ), a consortium of seventeen
non-governmental organisation operating primarily in the northern states
of Nigeria.
However, a group under the aegis of Nigerian Youths Coalition (NYC) has
condemned all manner of politically motivated attacks by politicians
and the supporters.
It expressed the support to the recently signed accord in Abuja by all
the political parties expressing their commitment to non-violence
elections next month.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday in Abuja, the leader of the body,
Chief Ezekiel A Kuje, condemned in strong terms the reported cases of
political violence the country, including the recent report of the
stonning of President Goodluck Jonathan’s convoy in Katsina.
The coalition include: Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Northern
Minority Youth for Positive Transformation, Abuja Original Inhabitant
Youths Empowerment Organisation, Southern Kaduna Progressive Movement,
Northern Youth Democratic Union, Gbagyi Reforms Youth Empowerment,
Abuja, Swing Nationalities of Nigeria and Fulani Youth Organisation.
Kuje, who spoke on behalf of the various groups urged all youths across
the country irrespective of their political parties or religion to show
commitments to the non-violence pact.
He explained that the purpose of the briefing was to show their
commitments toward the coming elections which they said they were
passionate about.
“We vehemently and unapologetically condemn the recent acts of
political campaign offices, the burning of campaign vehicles and most
recently, the attack on the President’s convoy on his recent visit to
Kastina state. We the coalition of youths of the North strongly
disassociate ourselves from such misguided elements.
“No one is above the law. Anyone found wanting of instigating violence,
before, during or after the elections must be decisively dealt with by
the constituted authority.” They said.
Another speaker, Alhaji Yarima Shetima, told the journalists that they
were not sponsored by any political party, saying they are fea is about
Nigeria, “If there is no Nigeria I wonder where some of ua we go to.”
The group also called on other Nigerian youths to stand with them for
peace, saying by doing that, “We can build a nation where peace and
justice shall reign, “ he said.
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