Human rights coalition expresses satisfaction in military’s control of Nigerian territories

… to embark on tour of liberated communities

The Coalition for Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group (CHRHRG) has expressed optimum satisfaction with the military’s sovereignty of Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

The Coalition made this known at a press conference on Monday in Abuja ahead of a tour of liberated communities in the North-East.

In a statement signed by Executive Director, Gabriel Agibi, the group hailed the military for its doggedness and reliance in flushing out remnants of Boko Haram terrorists amidst conspiracy from different quarters.

In a bid to carefully examine the military’s groundbreaking feat, the CHRHRG is set to embark on a systematic assessment tour of North-East, particularly strategic locations in Northern Borno Senatorial District.

Among others, the Coalition has promised tointerface with community leaders, NGOs and other critical stakeholders in the region with a view to getting objective responses on the efforts of the Federal Government.

According to the Coalition, the tour would also afford them the opportunity to take a cursory look at the operational strategies of the military and how it has conducted its operations in the theatre of war to state.

In the end, the Coalition hopes to eliminate every measure of doubts and falsehood being levelled against the brave and gallant Nigerian troops.

Read full address below:

I welcome you all to this press conference that is put together by the Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group in Nigeria to intimate Nigerians on the resolve by the various groups under the Coalition to undertake a systematic assessment tour of North-East Nigeria, particularly strategic locations in Northern Borno Senatorial District, to assess the efforts of the Nigerian government in the fight against terrorism.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group is a coalition of credible associations dedicated to the entrenchment of human rights practices in Nigeria. This much has been highlighted in previous years where an alliance of this nature was inaugurated to look into the operations of the Nigerian Military in southeast Nigeria to ascertain its level of human rights compliance.

In this regards, we wish to state that amongst a host of other tasks that have been carefully identified and outlined for the tour of North East Nigeria, the Coalition would interface with community leaders, NGOs and other critical stakeholders in the region with a view to getting objective responses on the efforts of the Nigerian Government with regards to the ongoing war against terrorism.

We wish to state that this line of action became necessary in the light of the various news making the rounds on the occupation of Nigerian territories by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in North-East Nigeria.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Groups would use the opportunity of the tour to carry out a systematic tour of affected communities, including those on the fringes of the Lake Chad basin region such as Baga, Gubio, Magumeri, Marte, Mobbar and Guzamala.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Groups would also deploy the services of local language interpreters in areas with identified communication barriers, in an attempt to gather as much information as possible that would aid in the subsequent publication of an Independent Terrorism Index that would give an objective assessment of the efforts of the Nigerian Government in the theatre of operations in North-East Nigeria.

The tour would also afford the Coalition the opportunity to take a cursory look at the operational strategies of the Nigerian Military and how it has conducted its operations in the theatre of war to state if indeed there has been any form of human rights violations and what measures were put in place to ensure human rights compliance in the prosecution of the war in North East Nigeria.

The Coalition would interface with community leaders in communities that have witnessed terrorist attacks over the years, as well as NGOs that have been in operations in such communities to understand the dynamics involved the war against terrorism in North-East Nigeria.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group is undertaking this tour of North-East Nigeria, aside from other stated objectives, to put issues in proper perspectives as regards whether any part of Nigerian territory is under the control of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Groups in the course of the tour in areas earmarked in Northern Borno would rely on first-hand information by engaging the various stakeholders in these areas such as the traditional and religious rulers, local government officials, humanitarian workers, locals as well as other concerned parties that are privy to the issues bedevilling the region.

We consequently wish to state that the pieces of evidence gathered from the tour would be documented in the Independent Terrorism Index objectively and analytically for easy comprehension by the relevant stakeholders.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group sees this task as necessary with a view to debunking insinuations that some parts of the Nigerian territory are under the control of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

It must also be noted that this tour is at the instance of the leadership of the Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group and as such the outcome of it would be as objective as possible, that would indeed stand the test to time.