Top news: Why are people calling for the exit of Amnesty International Nigeria?

TRACKING>>Human rights are a critical aspect of the modern world. While Nigeria is generally a peaceful nation where people live in harmony, there are reported cases of oppression and violation of human rights. In such cases, human rights organisations in Nigeria step in to rescue and assist the afflicted people. Amnesty International Nigeria is among the top organisations that lobby for human rights in Nigeria. Lately, however, there have been calls for the organisation to vacate the country. Why is this so?

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Amnesty International Nigeria is an NGO in Nigeria that fights against the abuse of human rights. The NGO ensures that human rights offenders are brought to justice, and all oppressive laws are amended. How does it achieve this goal? Amnesty International does a detailed analysis or research about a situation to establish, with factual evidence, whether human rights are being violated. The organisation then begins its advocacy and lobbying efforts to influence the concerned authorities to do the right thing. It also holds campaigns, protests and petitions for the corrective action to be taken.

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Call for Amnesty International Nigeria to leave

On Friday the 3rd of August 2019, protesters stormed the Amnesty International Nigeria office in Abuja demanding for the NGO to exit the country immediately. The NGO has been operating in the country since 1967 and is actively involved in campaigns, petitions and protests for human rights. At around 2 pm that day, however, the tables turned on the NGO. Contrary to the typical scenario where the organisation is the protester, a mass protest was held against it.

The protesters held placards and chanted reproachful songs as they accused the organisation of making attempts to destabilise the country by liaising with the county’s enemies. The move came after the government placed the organisation on watch for endorsing the planned countrywide protest by an alliance of civil society organisations. The protest was scheduled for the 5th of August 2019. The NGO responded to the protests by stating that it was not shaken and that it would continue holding the government accountable.

Not the first time

This is not the first time there is a call for the government to ban Amnesty International in Nigeria. In December 2018, the military called for its ban in the country. The call came after the organisation released a report which accused the relevant authorities of not investigating communal conflicts. It further alleged that the failure to prosecute the offenders heightened the conflict between herders and farmers in the northern parts of the country. The result of the conflict was 3,641 deaths and the displacement of numerous people.

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In response, the military advocated for the organisation to be banned in Nigeria because its operations were demoralising the drive of troops that were fighting Boko Haram. The military argued that the organisation was no longer abiding by its core values, principles and objectives. The military argued that the organisation was merely trying to destabilise the country with fictional claims.

Amnesty International vs Nigerian military

The back and forth between the organisation and the military is unlikely to stop. The accusations and counter-accusations that have been witnessed in the past are still seen today. On the 26th of June 2019, the organisation reported that civilians were still being tortured by suspected security forces who failed to observe the Anti-Torture Act of December 2017. The organisation claimed that the victims of the torture did not get justice and that the judicial system was unable to bring the culture of impunity to an end.

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On the 5th of August 2019, the organisation called the Nigerian authorities to investigate the deaths of three Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) members. The members died of gunshot wounds while in police custody. It also lobbied for the treatment of the IMN members who had life-threatening injuries. Fifteen people had earlier on been detained by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) since the 22nd of July 2019 for protesting against the detention of their leader, Sheikh Zakzaki. Zakzaki has been in detention since December 2015 and has since been charged with illegal assembly and disruption of peace.

Amnesty International argued that the detainees were denied the right to get medical care. It also argued that there was no justification for SARS to use live bullets on peaceful protesters. After all, Nigeria guarantees the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. Finally, the organisation called for the release of the detained IMN supporters.

Amnesty International Nigeria is one of the top NGOs in the country today. It fights for the rights of all human beings and lobbies for the amendment of any laws that infringe on human rights. Recently, there was a call for the organisation to leave Nigeria. It was accused of going against its objectives, principles and core values. Despite the call, the organisation is still operating without any official prospect of exiting from the country as yet.