A suit has been filed at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, against President Goodluck Jonathan by Access to Justice and eight other civil society groups.
The suit is seeking an Order of Mandamus to compel the defendant/respondent (President Jonathan) “to conduct a “thorough, prompt, and impartial investigation” into the allegation of brutal killings/executions and war crimes made by Amnesty International (AI) on 5th August 2014.
Joined as applicants in the suit are One Voice Coalition for Sustainable Development in Nigeria, One VOICE, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, WARDC, Human Rights Law Services, HURILAWS, Social Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria Foundation, NOPRIN, Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association, NATA, Centre for Constitutional Governance, CCG, and Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarization, CENCOD.
The accompanying video footage shows horrific images of detainees having their throats slit
one after the other and their bodies dumped in mass graves by men who appeared to be members of the Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF).
The footage also depicted 16 young men seated before they were ordered one after the other to the edge of the mass grave where their throats were slit and their bodies dumped into the grave. Five of the young men were killed in this manner before the footage ran out.
A statement signed by Jessica Imuekemhe on behalf of the Applicants states in part, “Access to Justice and its partners in this action are committed to fighting impunity and lawlessness in the delivery of security services, and ensuring that security operatives carry out their duties professionally, within the constitutional rule of law framework, and with respect for the rights of Nigerians, particularly those who are especially at risk of being stereotyped, or branded as “terrorists”, within the context of the war on terrorism in Nigeria.
“If the Applicants turn a blind eye to grave and massive violations of human rights and refuse or neglect to take action to defend, safeguard, achieve or fulfil them or refuse/neglect to take action to remedy, redress or assuage them when violated, then the Applicants would not be fulfilling the purpose for which the Federal Republic of Nigeria has incorporated them, and for which they have been conferred a special incorporation status with peculiar rights and duties; therefore, the reason for and basis of, their incorporation having failed or been defeated, the government may, following this failure, request their winding up.”
The case comes up on December 2, before Hon. Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court.
