Yoruba group petitions UN, EU, AU, accuses FG of rights abuse
By Patrick Okohue
A self-determination group, Yoruba Voice of Liberation (YOVOLIB), has petitioned the United Nations, European Union, African Union, United States, Britain, Nigeria’s Human Rights Commission and all governors of the Southwest states, including Kogi and Kwara, over alleged liberties abuses by the Federal Government.
The group also warned against arresting leading Yoruba nationalists, especially, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba Land, Iba Gani Adams and President-General of the Yoruba World Congress (YWC), Prof. Banji Akintoye, saying, “Nigerians in the Diaspora will respond if the two leaders are touched.”
The group in a statement titled ‘Four Things President Muhammadu Buhari Must Do To Avoid International Actions and Sanctions’ signed by its President, Dr. Adekunle Ademola, a United Kingdombased lawyer, urged the global community to call the Buhari-led government to order on the use of live ammunition against harmless protesters, saying it is a gross abuse of human rights, which if not stopped, could lead to revolutionary response from the people.
It noted: “The Nigerian government must respect the right of expression, end violence on peaceful protesters and provide a platform for dialogue on the way forward.
The job of law enforcement agencies is to monitor the protest such that order is maintained.
This is far from the case in the treatment of protesters in Nigeria “For example, in September 2019, Agnes Callamard, a United Nations Special Rapporteur, stated in her report “ …On 29 and 30 May 2016, during a demonstration, the Nigerian military opened fire on IPOB members and bystanders in Onitsha.
At least 60 persons were killed and over 70 injured, mainly shot in the back.
The exact number of deaths remains unknown.
“People of Yoruba land and entire Nigeria have the right to peacefully express their choices in the affairs of Nigeria.
In every civilized community, similar to what operated during Brexit and similar situations in the history of nations, groups/parties for and against particular terms of association should be allowed to exercise their fundamental rights of expression in enabling an environment that enhances informed choices.
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“Also, Nigerian government must desist from the path of deploying military and lethal weapons on peaceful protesters.
It is the job of the police to control the citizen population in law enforcement, while the army is for controlling and enforcing borders.
Dispatching the military to meet peaceful protesters with lethal weapons is in breach of the law, national and international.”
