Elections: Group charges political stakeholders not to rubbish army

Patrick Okohue

The Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), has called on politicians and stakeholders not to rubbish the Nigerian military institution over the outcome of Saturdays’ governorship and House of Assembly election.

The group while wading into the controversy trailing the activities of the Army during the polls, especially in Rivers State, also urged the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai

to investigate the series of trending online videos which appears to indict some armed security forces on a number of serial electoral offences and for instigating violence in Rivers, Bayelsa and some other flashpoints in the crude oil rich Niger Delta region.

HURIWA, in a statement on Monday by its coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, pointed out that the leadership of the Army has already established a good and qualitative antecedent

as a no nonsense hierarchy and will, in the not too distant time sanction about 38 senior military officers who underwent investigative and military prosecutorial trial over their alleged interference in the year 2015 general polls.

It added that “If this Army hierarchy had done this it can always do the needful now that it has become imperative for it to separate the few bad eggs from the professional institution of the military if they are found guilty by the internal investigative mechanisms.

“But we must be careful not to run down the military institution which we took over 60 years to build. It is usually more difficult to build but much easier to destroy.”

HURIWA said the claim by the military authority that there were incidents of fake soldiers that were deployed by politicians during the governorship polls should not be dismissed with a wave of the hands

since there are verifiable evidence that indeed hundreds of suspected fake armed men masquerading as soldiers were picked up in Imo, Rivers, Ondo and other areas and are currently being interrogated.

It added, “We urge Nigerians to remember that the institution of the Nigerian military is created by law to serve public interest and so must be preserved and insulated from undue politically tainted allegations that may not stand the test of time.

“We are not unaware of some allegations by some governors in the Niger Delta accusing soldiers of collusion to undermine democracy,

but we must give the Army the benefits of the doubts and assist the military institution to embark on holistic probe with the objective of preserving their political neutrality and to build an enviable professional institution that all of us and our children yet unborn would be proud of.

“We must not allow our temporary and unbridled quest for political power to lead us into the temptation of running down such a formidable institution like the Nigerian Army

because of the alleged malfeasance and misdemeanor of a few undesirable elements who may have derailed from the time honoured ethical and legal principles clearly listed out by the Chief of Army Staff on the need to abide by Rules of engagement in internal security operations.

“We have a written proof that the Army has a mandatory manual on rules of engagements in internal military operations in line with best global practices.

“The Nigerian Army said it got credible intelligence that kitting of political thugs with military uniforms and arming them to impersonate soldiers.

“We have seen photographic evidence in HURIWA of these verifiable allegations by the Army.”

Recall that the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Colonel Sagir Musa in a statement said thugs were sent to carry out crimes in furtherance of the activities of their political bosses.

HURIWA stated that the military’s version of the scenarios should be given a benefit of the doubts because for instance the Imo State Police Command on Sunday paraded 103 suspects

who allegedly instigated violence and various electoral malpractices during the Governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections held in the state on Saturday.