COALITION OF CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS

c/o Centre for Social Justice, 17 Yaounde Street, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja. Tel: 08055070909

 February 13, 2019

Press Statement

THE PROPOSED MILITARY CLAMPDOWN ON THE SOUTH EAST

We note with regret the recent directive by the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai to the GOC’s and Brigade Commanders in the South East Region to clamp down on the activities of IPOB and other splinter groups on the premise that they are threatening to disrupt the conduct of the 2019 general elections in the South East. The army chief made this statement in Abuja in his remarks at the Chief of Army Staff Operations Conference, a meeting which brought together the army’s apex administrative and operational commanders nationwide.

While we acknowledge the duty of the security agencies to take pre-emptive action to prevent the breakdown of law and order, such actions must be done with full respect to the rule of law and constitutionalism. Such pre-emptive action must be based on credible empirical evidence and not on mere conjecture or simply an established pattern of intimidating the South East Region. Assuming such evidence exists, it is the duty of the Police to maintain law and order and an invitation can only be extended to the military if there is an escalation which the Police is not equipped to deal with. It is not the duty of the Army to see to the day to day security of lives and property as this is the constitutional mandate of the Nigeria Police Force.

This clamp down order, coming a few days to the presidential and other elections, appears to be an attempt at suppressing the vote in the South East through intimidation and militarization of the zone.  For the avoidance of doubt, “vote suppression is a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting”.

We recall that the last deployment of soldiers tagged “Operation Python Dance” led to massive violation of human rights especially the rights to life, human dignity, personal liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of association, etc. We further recall that despite the documentation and empirical evidence of these massive violations, the Nigerian authorities have failed, refused and neglected to bring the perpetrators to justice.

In the circumstances, the proposed deployment of the Army to the South East of Nigeria in anticipation of the general election is totally unacceptable and condemnable.

We therefore call on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Chief of Army Staff to order and to desist from such provocative action. The South East of Nigeria is a peaceful region. The soldiers should rather be deployed to the North East region where lives are lost and properties destroyed on a daily basis.

We hope that President Muhammadu Buhari and his Chief of Army Staff will let wise counsel prevail.

Signed:

Network on Police Reform in Nigeria

Civil Liberties Organisation

Centre for Social Justice

Society for Economic Rights and Social Justice

Save Nigeria Group

Centre for Peace Across Borders

Centre for Public Interest Law

Christian Fellowship and Care Foundation

Peoples Rights Organisation

Life Source Initiative

Budget Watch Group

Honour Birth Foundation

Communal Care Centre

Centre for Women Empowerment and Development

Purple Care Initiative

Youth Enhancement Organisation

DAWDRIN

JONAPWD, Imo State

Royal Youths International

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Initiative

Imo People’s Action for Democracy

Imo Bilie Initiative for Social Justice

Abia Youths Progressive Assembly

People to People International, Imo State

Owerri Youths Elders Forum

South East Youths Consultative Forum