NAN-H-136
Attack
By Angela Atabo
Abuja, March 22, 2017 (NAN ) Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country on Wednesday described the attack on Amnesty International by some aggrieved persons as disheartening and huge set-back to human rights and freedom.
In a statement in Abuja by Mr Onyekachi Eke, Media Office, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), said that the attack was uncalled for.
The group said that the development was unhealthy considering the good fight by civil society organisations to ensure the right to freedom of expression of Nigerians.
“It is detrimental to the growth of the nation as a democracy and counter-productive to human rights and the right to freedom of expression.
“We recognise the fact that this attack is not just an attack on Amnesty International, but civil society groups that want to ensure non-violation of human rights in Nigeria,’’ it said.
It said that if the clamour for expulsion of Amnesty International succeeded, it was tantamount to declaring war on CSOs that could uncover and defend truths.
According to it, it is essential that Nigerians adhere to laws governing the country in spite of their belief that Amnesty International’s human rights report “favours’’ some groups such as Boko Haram, Niger-Delta militants and IPOB.
CISLAC said that Amnesty International was a credible global movement that campaigned for human rights, independent of any political ideology, economic interest or religious affiliations, reputed for reporting facts by empirical research.
It said that resorting to tantrums and issuance of ultimatum revealed a deficit in their capacity for intellectual discourse and cast doubts on their genuineness of belonging to a civil society as they claimed.
It said that the attackers were supposed to be demanding an investigation instead of attacking the source of information.
According to it, the government as well as the army, promised to investigate the report and there is no reason to resort to violence.
The group said that if the attackers thought that by forcing Amnesty International out of the country the report would be covered, “then it is a serious error of judgment and the height of ignorance’’.
It urged the government to investigate the attack in order to ensure that those taking the laws into their hands were brought to book without infringing on their human rights. (NAN)
ATAB/DOR/OPI