Rights group knocks out-gone President Buhari, says his govt most attrocious
Human interest
By Ifeizu Joe
A human rights and democracy group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has come down heavily on out-gone president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, describing his government as most attrocious in the country’s history.
The group in a press statement signed by its board of trustees chairman, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, and two other members of the group said Buhari’s eight years as president of Nigeria was characterized by killings, kidnappings, suffering, poverty and high cost of living.
Intersociety stated that in the history of the country, no civilian administration has been more attrocious than the past government.
The group also rated some past governors, saying that the trio of former governors of Kaduna, Rivers, and Ebonyi – Nasir el-Rufai, Nyesom Wike and Dave Umahi were the worst at sub-national level, while Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma is the most dangerous sitting governor presently.
The statement which was released in Anambra on Tuesday and made available to THE RAZOR in Awka, the group said Buhari ran a government that targeted the Christian population in Nigeria, and also the south easterners for destruction, while also shielding and emboldening perpetrators of mass killings.
“The out-gone eight years of the central civilian administration of Retired Major General Muhammad Buhari (as he then was) and Prof Yemi Osinbajo (May 29, 2015-May 29, 2023) is the most atrocious civilian administration ever existed in Nigeria particularly since May 29, 1999 when the country returned to the civil rule.
“The exited central Government of Retired Major General Muhammad Buhari (as he then was) and Prof Yemi Osinbajo atrociously is found to have run “Government for the Destruction of Easterners and Christians” during which Government energies and resources especially borrowed funds were channeled towards systematic annihilation of Christians and defenseless citizens of Old Eastern Nigeria
“It is on record that till date, no single senior security officer has been apprehended and severely punished for his or her grisly and egregiously involvement or role in the large-scale violations or abuses of human rights in Nigeria or any part thereof since July 2015.
“The out-gone Government of Buhari-Osinbajo also earned notoriety in shielding the perpetrators and emboldening them to perpetrate more with impunity, leading to unchecked cases of ‘repeat-perpetrations or offenses’.”
The group said it was time for the international community and human rights organizations across the world to look into the many cases of abuses in Nigeria, under the Buhari government.
“Human rights abuses and violations unleashed on individual citizens or group of citizens were also in ‘industrial scale’ and amounted to crimes against humanity and other internationally prohibited acts or conducts.
“It is therefore time for accountability for the variously documented mass atrocities. All eyes are now on the International Criminal Court (ICC), which had severally announced “the opening of investigations on Nigeria for possible crimes against humanity or war crimes since 18th Nov 2010”.
“This is more so when Nigeria has failed woefully to adhere strictly to the “Principle of Complementarity and Zero Impunity” by demonstrating its “inability and unwillingness” to act domestically to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to account using its domestic justice frameworks,” the group said.
