*Applauds army on human rights department
A team from the Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) has met at the Weekend in London the United Kingdom with over twenty four Nigerian born United Kingdom based lawyers with a view to re-assessing the unprecedented levels of killings in Nigeria and to comprehensively assess the impacts of the recently established HUMAN RIGHTS DEPARTMENT in the Army by the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.
At the meetings the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said he will on Tuesday present a letter to the new British Prime Minister Mrs Theresa May to urge her to compel President Muhammadu Buhari to direct officers of the security forces and the anti-graft agency such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) to comply with constitutional provisions and safeguards against violations of the human rights of Nigerians as enshrined in Chapter four of the 1999 Constitution and all relevant international human rights conventions and laws to which Nigeria is a signatory.
In a media Statement sent from the United Kingdom and endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA, and the other UK based lawyers who spoke at the closed door meetings praised the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai for adopting pragmatic measures through administrative means to mainstream the teaching of respect for human and constitutional right values in the training manuals of the officers and order ranks of the Nigeria Army.
They agreed that it was time for the Nigerian military operatives who violate the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian citizens to be held accountable and sanctioned severely to serve as deterrent to would be violators.
Besides, a leading Nigerian born human rights lawyer in the UK Mr Femi Oboro of the Gromyko Amedu Solicitors with offices in Brixton Hill London advocated constant and vigorous trainings on contemporary trends around the thematic areas of human rights and the Rule of L
aw within the Nigerian Military and all other security forces to compel the different segments of the security forces to work within the frameworks of the Nigerian Law.
The constitutional lawyer said officers of the Army should with abiding faith ensure the enforcement of laws that guarantee the respect of the human rights of Nigerians.
The lawyer praised Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai for setting up a functional human rights department in the Nigeria Army.
The UK based Nigerian Attorney and commissioner for Oaths was quoted in the media statement authorised by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria as saying thus:
“It is satisfying to hear from the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria of the concrete efforts made by the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army led by Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai to establish and fund a properly staffed and equipped Human Rights Monitoring and enforcement Department in the Nigerian Army”.
“This is an impressive phenomenon.
“It is hoped that the leadership of the Army will strengthen the Human Rights Department with the necessary logistics and equip the relevant manpower with regular intensive skill acquisition training on Human rights constantly so Nigerians will have their rights protected in all internal security operations to be carried out by officers and operatives of the Nigeria Army”.
Corollary, in one of the three meetings between the Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria and the UK based Nigerian Attorneys in the city of London, the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko presented a lecture titled “UNLAWFUL HOMICIDE UNDER NIGERIAN LAWS AND THE OBLIGATION OF THE NIGERIAN STATE TO ENFORCE THE LAWS”.
HURIWA condemned the attacks by armed Islamic fundamentalists on the Suleja Catholic Church near Abuja and the killing of the female Pastor of the Redeemed Church of God in Kubwa, an Abuja suburb by Islamic extremists who were unhappy that she was engaged in early morning evangelisation.
HURIWA called on President Muhammadu Buhari to strictly enforce all laws against illegal homicide and stop the spread of the violence by armed Islamists and the killer Fulani terrorists.
HURIWA said thus: “Black’s Law Dictionary defines homicide as the killing of one person by another and criminal homicide as the act of purposely, knowingly, recklessly or negligently causing the death of another human being.”
“Section 33(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) 1999 guarantees the right to life but excludes unintentional killing, killing in execution of a sentence of court and killing from reasonable use of force in certain circumstances from being breach of the right.
“These provisions constitute the guiding principles for the law of homicide in Nigeria. Unlawful homicide is thus the breach of the right to life”.
“In effect, homicide is considered lawful in the following circumstances namely, execution of sentence, self-defence, defence of property, death by misadventure, death arising from lawful arrest or while preventing escape or during rescue after arrest, death caused during a suppression of riot.”
“The Nigerian laws on unlawful homicide are the Criminal Code, applicable in the Southern States and Penal Code, applicable in the Northern States.”
On The Crime of Unlawful Homicide in Nigeria, HURIWA said:
“Under the Criminal Code, unlawful homicide may be murder, manslaughter, suicide or infanticide. Section 315, Criminal Code, provides that any person who unlawfully kills another is guilty of an offence which is called murder or manslaughter according to the circumstance of the case.”
