Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Arewa youths under the auspices of Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) have cautioned Amnesty International to stay away from unguided utterances that are capable of destabilising the country over the recent violent ENDSARS protests across the nation.
CNG has noted that Amnesty International had in its latest timeline accused Nigerian authorities of covering Lekki toll gate shooting and killings during the protests in Lagos.
However, addressing a press conference on Friday, the CNG Spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman said, “We are thus concerned because the timeline essentially aims to legitimize the sad fallout of the clumsy and unregulated disturbances across the country that lasted and grew in dimension for about two weeks in the pretence of protesting the excesses of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force”.
Suleiman said there is the need for Amnesty International to review its priorities by focusing on the more humanitarian issues of the killings of Nigerian police personnel, “instead of chasing the shadows of fictitious attacks at Lekki which cannot yet be sustained”.
The CNG Spokesman said Amnesty International should recognize that, “while Nigerian authorities permits constitutionalism to prevail in the context of peaceful protest as contained in Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, they are as well under obligation to heed to `Section 45 of the same Constitution to protect the lives and property of all citizens from violence, carnage and anarchy”.
The Arewa youths leader added, “we use this opportunity to remind Amnesty International that its bilateral relationship with any nation, is guided by the principles of sovereignty, promotion of peace and the standards that guide legitimate interference.
In this regard, Amnesty International’s intervention, exclamations and actions on issues in Nigeria ought not be drawn to discountenance the effort of government to protect citizens from violence and to impose law and order.
“Let it also be clear that while international law allows for peaceful protest, assembly and association, it at the same time, does not legitimize violence and destruction.
“Amnesty International should understand that there are clear provisions in Nigeria as there are in international law and other international conventions and treaties on the legality of restricting violent assembly, and on enforcing the law to protect the right of others, to ensure national security, and to guarantee public safety and public order.
“It is also important that Amnesty International and our friends in the international community understand what a distabilised Nigeria will mean to the entire sub-Saharan region.
“As the most populous country on the continent and one that continuous to influence peace and stability across the sub-continent, any breakdown of law and order will further make dangerous the situation in the region, and escalate the humanitarian situation in terms of regional security, international cohesion, migration and other challenges that will affect Africa and beyond”.