LAGOS, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Human rights group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has urged the United States President, Mr. Barack Obama, to raise issues relating to critical human rights challenges in Nigeria with President Muhammadu Buhari during his high-level visit to America in the week.
While the body enjoined Obama to encourage Buhari to keep his commitment to ensure that government security forces respect human rights and to address the endemic corruption that has deprived many Nigerians of their basic rights, the Washington Director for HRW, Sarah Margon, also implore Obama to implore Buhari to repeal the Same Sex Prohibition Act contrary to views expressed by larger majority of Nigerians.
“Human Rights Watch also urged Obama to raise corruption issues with Buhari as well as the need to repeal the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, which became law during the administration of Nigeria’s previous president, Goodluck Jonathan. The law criminalises public displays of affection between same-sex couples and penalises organisations advocating the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people,” she said.
She noted that the Buhari visit to Washington is an important moment to re-evaluate the US-Nigeria relationship, but that any closer ties and assistance should be approached with caution.
Margon said: “If the US is discussing further financial or technical support for Nigeria’s security forces it should insist on clear benchmarks on how they will ensure respect for human rights.”
While Buhari’s visit to the US, which is his first since he was elected in March, is expected to focus on strengthening the bilateral cooperation against terrorism in Nigeria, specifically against the outlawed militant Islamic group, Boko Haram, it is also expected to improve economic and trade relations between the two countries but many Nigerians have cautioned President Buhari against agreeing to any term that would lead to the implementation of same sex marriage, which in largely considered un-African.
Speaking further on the insecurity in the country, Morgan said: “The conflict in the North-east between Boko Haram and Nigeria’s security forces has become increasingly deadly and is one of the critical challenges facing Nigeria’s new administration. An estimated 8,000 civilians are believed to have been killed since 2010, 400 of them since Buhari’s inauguration on May 29, 2015. Nearly one million people have been displaced. There is abundant evidence that Boko Haram forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. The group has targeted civilians in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroun, and Chad, abducted hundreds of women and girls, and forcibly conscripted young men and boys, and destroyed villages, towns, and schools.
“In responding to Boko Haram, Nigerian government security forces have been implicated in grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including incommunicado, detention, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances. The Nigerian police are also credibly implicated in several highly publicised extrajudicial killings of Boko Haram members or suspects. Almost no one has been held to account for human rights crimes. On July 13, Buhari replaced the national security adviser, the chief of defense staff, and the military service chiefs,” she said.
The right activist also said Obama should tell Buhari to immediately suspend any member of Nigeria’s security forces, including senior officers, for whom there is credible evidence of involvement in serious human rights abuses, and hold them to account in fair trials.
Meanwhile, ahead of the meeting between Buhari and Obama, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Obama to “back up his expressed commitment on stolen assets by taking thoughtful and aggressive steps to deal with the problem with the seriousness and intensity that has been previously lacking.”
In a statement issued by SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation said: “We welcome the commitment by President Obama to assist the Buhari’s government to track down billions of dollars in stolen assets from the country. However, greater efforts are required from the Obama’s government to follow through its commitment if it is to secure a measure of justice for Nigerian victims of corruption and money laundering.”
SERAP also asked President Obama to “establish a Presidential Advisory Committee and facilitate a congressional hearing on stolen assets from Nigeria. These initiatives would be tremendously important in bringing renewed attention to repatriation of stolen assets to Nigeria.
“Corruption, money laundering and systematic violations of human rights go hand in hand and that is why Obama should do everything within his power to get to the bottom of stolen assets from Nigeria kept in the US.”
According to the group, “President Obama should also propose legislation to assist Nigerians in pursuing stolen assets in US banks and other institutions. Any such legislation should also require every bank and financial institution doing business in the US and their European affiliates to post on central Internet site bank accounts of politically exposed persons and their families and friends from Nigeria.”
SERAP said there is need for accountability for stolen funds, and there should not be a statute of limitations on stolen assets, adding that the Obama government should move quickly to resolve the issue of returning the assets to the country in an expeditious, just and fair manner.
“Unless this is done, the rare opportunity the Obama government now has to right the injustice aided and abetted by the US banks will be gone,” it also noted.
The statement said: “Recovering stolen assets from the US is a lingering issue that requires justice and fairness especially given the complicity of US banks and other institutions in corruption and money laundering in Nigeria, and the fact that stolen assets have contributed to the growth of US economy. Therefore, thoughtful and aggressive steps are needed if the Obama government is to change the asset recovery fatigue that characterised previous US administrations.
“Obama’s government can and should show the leadership in this field. If President Obama does not take the lead, the US and European financial centres will continue to serve as safe havens to stolen assets from Nigeria and elsewhere.”
