From: Gyang Bere, Jos
A representative of NEXUS FUND, Dr. Prince Charles Dickson, has said the report of Amnesty International (AI) which alleged rights abuses by Nigerian Army on the fight against Book Haram was a lesson for Nigeria security agencies and Federal Government.
Dr. Dickson stated this, on Wednesday, during a Town Hall meeting with Youths and Civil Society Organisations in Plateau State on the Dangers of hate speech on social cohesion, organised by Centre for the Advocacy of Justice and Rights (CAJR), in partnership with NEXUS FUND.
According to him, “The report of Amnesty International about the Nigeria Army was based on the information available to them, the reason why the report took that perspective was because the Nigeria Army is coming from a backdrop where intelligent reports and information has been very difficult to verify.
“If the Army had provided superior information, that would have enable Amnesty International to strike a balance in its report. The Nigeria Army has not been able to give balance information to the public on the fight against insurgents in the north east.
“It is sad that Nigerian Journalists can’t cover effectively the war against Boko Haram, but international Journalists are doing so under the cover of the Army; the the statement of Amnesty International is a lesson for the Nigeria Army and the Federal Government to learn.”
He called on Nigeria security agencies to always be sure and strike balance in their intelligent reports to avoid being suspicious by international organisation and the public.
He said though the report might not be devoid of international politics and interest of the sponsors, and said what was the role of Amnesty International when America and European countries floods the same rules in the fight against terrorism.”
Dickson called on security agencies to imbibe the spirit of training embedded journalists to participate in the coverage of war against Boko Haram for factual information.