61st Edition of the World Human Rights Day (Press Briefing)

13th Dec. 2009

A PRESS BRIEFING OF THE CIVIL LIBERIES ORGANIZTION (CLO) ANAMBRA STATE BRANCH ON THE 61ST EDITION OF THE WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 2009.

Gentlemen of the press!!!
As the world celebrates the 61st edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) known as World Human Right Day 2009, the CLO Anambra State branch seize the opportunity to present its views and positions on the human right situation /governance in Nigeria and Anambra State.

As you all know, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights programme has evolved into a weeklong activity where human right groups and NGO's take time to review the human rights records of states and how governments have fared in the implementation of its good governance policies etc.

STATE OF THE NATION:
Our country Nigeria is presently drifting into total oblivion, we are lamenting that Nigeria is becoming a failed state but right now, the situation is assuming a dangerous proportion. The picture of Nigeria is that of an undulating landscape of brave ambitions and cataclysmic failures. A heart-rending saga of people whose land is rich, yet lives in abject penury and driven by inept leadership.
For the past 19days,Mr president embarked on a medical trip to Saudi Arabia (our hospitals and medical personnel's are unfit) after being diagnosed of acute pericarditis-disease of the heart, since then, governance is not only on suspension in Nigeria but the engine gear of the nation's vehicle has been permanently on the reverse.

While we sympathize with the president and wish him soonest recovery, we dare say that Governance is not by force and cannot be personified only in one person. Several times Yar'Adua have traveled outside the shores of the country without any official notice to neither the National Assembly nor any official handing over to his vice president.

This is a pure breach of the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria.
The whole Nation cannot grind to a halt because of the sickness of its President.
Various issues and polices have been put in abeyance / indefinite suspension like the passage of the petroleum industry bill (PIB), the conclusion of the matter on the proposed deregulation of the down stream petroleum sector, the signing of the National Merit Award nomination lists etc. The vice president has also refused to sign the budget citing lack of constitutional powers as his handicap. To be factual, the damage is inexhaustible.
We therefore call on President Yar'Adua as a matter of urgent national importance to invoke section 145 of the constitution by writing the National Assembly to recognize the vice president as the acting President of Nigeria so as to avoid vacuum in leadership and to save the nation from the brink of total collapse. We cannot continue governance by telephone.

A COUNTRY OF MISPLACED PRIORITIES:
When leaders are imposed and selected to run the affairs of the nation, the citizens suffer untold hardships because the selected will always pursue their personal interests rather than national or collective interests.
This is the bane of our development as a nation. Governance in Nigeria remains the costliest in Africa but the most painful aspect of it is that only a small fraction of the teeming population pocket these funds meant to serve the public good.

In the past ten years of 'democracy' in Nigeria, the national assembly and the presidency (federal government) has carved a notorious niche for themselves as the two organs of government with an unusual knack for frivolous expenditure and epicurean lifestyle. As at June 2009, the National Assembly spent over N523.4bn to make 532 laws. This by implication shows that one bill cost Nigerians about N1bn.

The yearly appropriations to the two legislative chambers` have risen astronomically from N3.4bn in 1999 to N106bn in 2009. In this new budget proposal for year 2010, N1.1b has been earmarked for meals and refreshment while N15.1 billion is for honorariums and sitting allowances totally N16.2 billion. The presidency also gets over N0.7 billion for feeding & entertainment. While N15 million will also be used to fight rats & mosquitoes in the presidential villa kitchen. Imagine all these while Nigeria's domestic debt is at over N3.09trn. Majority of Nigerians are impoverished living from hand to mouth everyday.

ANAMBRA STATE ELECTION 2010:
It is one month and some fraction of days to the 2010 gubernatorial elections in Anambra state. There are still ominous signs that some groups /individuals have vowed never to play by the rules but instead devise crooked methods in their journey to occupy the seat at the Awka government house.
But the clear and present danger remains the role of the electoral umpire- INEC and its level of preparedness for the election.

The Anambra Human Rights Coalition led by the INTERSOCIETY and the CLO have raised consistent alarms over the brazen disenfranchisement of the citizens of the state going by the method INEC devised during the voters registration exercise.
We followed it up with series of petitions and litigation to the relevant bodies to compel INEC carry out its legitimate duties.

Unfortunately on Wednesday the 9th of December 2009, the INEC Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu at a stakeholders forum inside Tourist Garden Hotel Awka bared his fangs and displayed his unrepentant obstinacy in acting out an orchestrated script.

Iwu though speaking in pseudonyms short of called us rogues. For our efforts in writing to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Prof Iwu accused us as those who hijacked and inflated the names in the voters register.
Two days earlier, the commission had in far away Abuja inaugurated a 10 men Monitoring and observer board for the Anambra election.

While we view Iwu's disparaging comments against the Anambra Human Rights Coalition as diversionary, we wish to restate that the commission is hell bent on conducting a fraudulent election in February 6 2010 in Anambra.

We stand by our earlier position that INEC intentionally frustrated genuine voters from registering during the so-called voters registration exercise. The "authentic" voters register from Abuja now converted into a video CD plate which Iwu came to Awka with is a product of the INEC manipulation and should be rejected forthwith.

We also reject the importation of civil society organizations from Abuja as the sole monitors for the forthcoming election while there are genuine / credible organizations based in Anambra.
Abuja based election monitors cannot know the terrain and territories of Anambra better than the state based organizations.
We view these actions by Iwu as part of the premeditated script to actualize his plan of handing over the key to Awka government house at all cost to a once Aso Rock powerful civilian who allegedly facilitated his emergence as INEC Chairman.
We warn for the umpteenth time that any attempt by the commission to repeat the electoral heist of 2003 and 2007 shall be resisted in full force.
To avoid an imminent conflagration in the state, we advise the commission to retrace it's steps and do the right thing at least for once in Anambra in the coming election.

PARTY CAMPAIGNS:
As the election draws near, we also enjoin party faithful and aspirants to conduct themselves in a civilized manner. Their campaigns should dwell on issues and not mudslinging, name-calling and violence.
We condemn in totality the recent destruction and defacing of campaign billboards and mini sign posts (fixed in streetlights) of Mr. Peter Obi along major streets in Awka

Anambra politics has gone beyond such silly and petty behaviours. We enjoin the aspirants to contest and win or loose honourably instead of devising any devilish methods to outsmart each other.

The open hug/embrace among the contestants at the stakeholders meeting in Awka in the presence of the INEC chairman should be taken into heart. There can only emerge one governor after February 6 2010 and others can join hands thereafter in making the state a better model.

POLICE AND SECURITY IN ANAMBRA STATE:
The origin of the Nigerian police dates back to the colonial era when the force was formed to promote the interest of the colonial masters and enforcement of their draconian rule. 49 years down the line after Nigeria's independence, the police still carry on in the same method -dealing with those they are supposed to protect.

Last Wednesday in Abuja, the Amnesty International released a damning annual report detailing the various cases of torture and extra judicial killings by the police in Nigeria.
The police in their usual manner denied the contents of the report.

Emma Ojukwu, the force PRO present at the venue justified police excesses and declared that there is no soft police anywhere. According to him, "the nature of police work is aggressive; there is no soft police anywhere in the world, the police must dominate situations everywhere; otherwise, there will be anarchy. You have to be authoritarian and assert yourself or else, you become a deaf and dumb police".

By implication, what the Force PRO said is that the police are licensed to be hard on the citizens and that they can do anything and get away with it without apologies.

On September 2009, the Anambra CLO released a two part 28 paged petition against the Anambra State Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) Awkuzu.
The petition was widely used by the media and the contents are being addressed by the relevant authorities.

However, it is quite painful that human bazaar still goes on at Awkuzu SARS. Daily cries of torture, extra judicial killings and exchange of cash for human lives have remained the hallmark of policing at Awkuzu (SARS).

Cars of different sizes and structures often dominate the front office of the Awkuzu (SARS) where high placed individuals and lawyer's troop in daily to secure the release of their wards detained mostly under frivolous trumped up charges.

The outfit has continuously demeaned the integrity of various lawyers in the state whose professional garbs have been seriously compromised because they've been forced to enter into unholy monetary negotiations with the (SARS) officers to avoid loosing the life of their clients.

Today, more reports of their unholy activities continue to pour into our office in torrents. Right now, Mr. Chijioke Mbamalu from Awkuzu has been in detention for 2 weeks on a trumped up charge of arrange kidnap of one Mr. Ifeanyi Anizoba.
All entreaties made by the family to secure his release have not yielded any positive results.

Another citizen Augustine Aneke has been in their custody also for God knows when, the SARS claimed that he is an Indian hemp smoker and they are demanding N1 million as bail fee before he will be released.

The souls of Nonso Ayalogu, Chekwube Okeke and others summarily executed at Awkuzu SARS are still roaring for justice.
The OC SARS, Sir Felix Kigigha may be a knight of St. Christopher in the Anglican Church but right now his hands are already stained for coordinating such a murderous outfit.

For us in the Anambra CLO, we've made a vow that we can never rest until Awkuzu SARS is totally sanitized and the indicted officers like SP Kolo, Coporal Obiodor, Supol Nicholas Ugwoke and others yet to be identified pay for all the crimes they are committing against humanity.

We restate our demand for total overhauling of the entire SARS formations in the state.

The effort of the new commissioner of police, Philemon Ibrahim Leha is quite commendable for holding his head high and not bowing to the antics of some wicked politicians in the state so far since the few months of his arrival in the state.

However, the head cannot be healthy while the body is rotten. Anambra State police command still parades many pollutant viruses, vultures and blood thirsty officers.
The killing of Mr. Usein Efiong Udoh, a concrete mixer operator with PRACO Construction Company on October 5th 2009, by combined team of police from B Division Awka and scorpion squad vigilante is a sore pointer to the fact that the force is far from being sanitized.
We have also written another petition to the CP over the careless killing and we reemphasize that his integrity is at stake if the matter is swept under the carpet.
The mobile police drafted in the state have continued in their massive extortion of motorists turning blind eye to crime fighting.

The killing of Master Okechukwu Onoyima an apprentice trader to Mr. John Ogbu in the ever-busy Kano Street Onitsha main market on Friday 4th Dec. 2009 is not only unfortunate but uncalled for.

It is baffling that robbers can operate freely on a bike, enter the main market, snatch millions of naira and go free after killing the young man while the police were busy collecting N20 nearby. The robbery operation was a planned deal based on a tip off, we therefore charge the police in Onitsha Area command to spread their dragnet and fish out the perpetrators of this ugly crime for them to face the full wrath of the law. That is the only way to ensure that Okechukwu did not die in vain

As the yuletide season is around the corner, we call on the commissioner of police, commanders of Mopol 54 Onitsha and 29 Awka to put their houses in order and ensure adequate protection of lives and property both in this season and thereafter.

VIGILANTE GROUPS:
The greatest explosion about to rock the State in the near future is the activities of vigilante groups. It is a time bomb tickling to explode.

The vigilant groups have continued to proliferate at an alarming rate without adequate and commensurate monitoring.

Every nooks and crannies of the State is dotted by gun welding young men without uniform masquerading as vigilante operatives.
It is an incontrovertible fact that the State Government does not have an accurate data base of the number of vigilante groups operating in the state. Most worrisome is that these groups doesn't know their boundaries, groups from Nkpor can carry out arrest around Okpoko area without any qualms.

They also carry dangerous weapons like matchets and daggers which they use at the slightest provocation and detain people indiscriminately in their private cells.

The most notorious group from our findings among them is the Awada groups. There is Awada vigilante services, Awada central landlords vigilante groups, NTU Bakassi group and other unnamed groups. All these groups perform both arrest, prosecuting and sentencing functions all rolled into one.

Passing through Ezeiweka Road and Oraifite Street, the two main exit/entrance points to Awada have become a daily nightmare because of the activities of these hoodlums who call themselves vigilante.
From 6:40pm everyday, they arrest, brutalize and extort money from cyclists and private motorcycle riders in the name of enforcing the 7pm deadline of Okada not plying the roads.

Most regrettably, they carry out this illegal act under the connivance of policemen from Awada police station. We therefore call on the state Government as a matter of utmost urgency to stop this anomaly and call these boys to order.

The Awada DPO Mudashiru Lawal should be questioned on the alleged fraternity with these untrained vigilante operatives.
The consultant to the governor on vigilante matters, Mr. Chris Udeze should either brace up or honorably throw in the towel.
The state governor Mr. Peter Obi as the Chief Security officer of the state is hereby called upon to take full charge and stop the activities of any group that gives the state a negative image.

ASTA:
The Anambra state Traffic Agents is another agency of the state that tops the chart in human right violations and daylight robbery/brigandage.

The Agency was a welcome initiative at its early formative stage because of its refined approach to duty unlike when rogues were commissioned as road traffic marshals during the Ngige era.

Today, things have fallen apart and the center can no longer hold as all manners of characters have infiltrated the ranks of ASTA. Society outlaws and brigands are now on ASTA uniform.

On Tuesday Feb 18th 2009 Mr. Jude Aduba a commercial bus driver was killed along Onitsha Owerri Road by ASTA operatives. On June 2009, they nearly lynched the state treasurer of CLO Comrade Ezema Simeon along Nkpor Old Road.

On Saturday October 23 2009, the state chairman of the CLO was bundled in his car to their Bridge Head office by one Augustine Ikpeama AKA Scorpion and 6 other mobile policemen.
Mr. Chairman's offence was that he slowed down in front of Chiemezie motors office down flyover, Upper Iweka to avoid falling into a ditch caused by erosion. It was a phone call from Chief Sylvester Nwobu Alor (Onwa) that saved him from paying N6000 after threat on his life by the Scorpion Squad.

Investigations by the CLO revealed that the Agency doesn't pay it's staff salaries and yet several thousands of naira in hundreds roll into the office daily. The women among the staff have turned into street beggars in uniform.

We therefore call on the state ministry of transport and special duties, the state house of Assembly and the Governor to urgently reorganize and reposition the Agency for optimal performance.

We also call for the immediate removal of Augustine Ikpeama. (Scorpion) Nnamdi Aghadiuno the OC task force and other drug addicts among them that have polluted the activities of the Agency

ONITSHA PHCN:
On a final note, we condemn the unbridled quest for bribery and corrupt practices by the officials of the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria.
The sudden demand of N25,000 before the installation of new prepaid metres, a service earlier done free of charge, calls to question the integrity of the PHCN officials in Onitsha.

No amount of buck passing by the management of PHCN Onitsha can convince us that their action is genuine.

We therefore call for the removal of the Onitsha Business Manager and the entire senior managers at Onitsha District. We call on the EFCC / ICPC and other relevant bodies to investigate their activities and probe into their shady financial deals.
The amount illegally collected from consumers within Onitsha should be refunded immediately.

LAST LINE:
Human rights remain inalienable. Democracy and liberty are intertwined. We therefore urge Nigerians to rise up and defend their rights.

We have a right to determine how we should be governed, so let us assert all our inherent rights and Nigeria will be liberated for real.

Thank you.

Signed


Comrade Aloysius Attah
Chairman
Anambra State Branch of the CLO