A Human Rights group, Streetlaw Africa Incorporated, has
threatened to drag the federal government, its officials and leaders of Arewa
youths to the International Criminal Court, ICC, at Hague, Holland, if the
federal High court in Abuja fail to attend to two suits it filed against the
government and persons on the threat of genocide to Ndigbo residing in parts of
northern Nigeria.
The group said it has perceived attempts by the Nigerian
courts to evade prosecutions of the respondents, noting that the treat is real
and orchestrated plot to repeat the genocide the northerners executed on the
people of Eastern Nigeria from 1966 to 1970 when the
civil war ended.
It went further to recount that even after the civil war
ended in Nigeria, the northerners continued genocides on Easterners in
different dimensions such as in the 2011 general election when Igbos were
massacred for no just cause.
It therefore noted that it would be even more suicidal for
the Igbo race to keep quiet until they are slaughtered in droves again in Nigeria.
In a world press statement in Enugu,
yesterday, the Director of Streetlaw Africa Incorporated, Mr. Egechukwu Obetta,
recalled that he had on July 11 2017filed three suits at the Abuja Federal High
Court, FHC, and ECOWAS Court,
respectively, on behalf of all Indigenes of the South East Zone of Nigeria
resident in the Northern parts of Nigeria.
The three suits, according to Obetta sought for a Motion for
an Order of Mandamus of the FHC, compelling the Inspector General of Police,
IGP, to arrest and prosecute within 7 days, all such Persons led by one
AlhajiYerima Shettima under the aegis of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF,
who on June 6 2017, issued a treasonable notice to Ndigbo in the North, to
vacate the region before the October 1, 2017.
The suit also seeks for a Fundamental Rights Enforcement
against Alhaji Yerima Shettima, the IGP and the Federal Government of Nigeria,
to enforce the Fundamental Rights of Ndigbo in the North, to move freely
throughout Nigeria,
and to reside in any part thereof, as guaranteed them under Section 41(1) of
the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Obetta disclosed that the same Fundamental Rights
Enforcement Suit was filed at the ECOWAS court.
The Human Rights lawyer said: “I hereby put the above
Respondents on Notice that if it pleases the honourable Court to grant the
above Mandamus Order as prayed, and the IGP fails and neglects to comply with
such Order of Mandamus of the FHC within the timeline thereon specified, I
would have no other choice than to proceed to the International Criminal Court,
ICC, in the Hague, Holland, to press Criminal Charges against them, of aiding
and abetting a second Genocide against the Ndigbo in the North, the first
Genocide having taken place in 1966 with no one held to account in that regard,
till date.
“My Criminal Suit for such second Genocide against Ndigbo in
the North, will be filed against Alhaji YerimaShettima; The IGP; The Attorney
General of the Federation, AGF, as the Chief Law Officer of Nigeria; Prof Ango
Abdullahi and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as the Acting President of Nigeria when the
June 6 2017 threat of a second Genocide against Ndigbo in the North, was
issued.
“The IGP, AGF and Prof Yem iOsinbajo would be charged before
the ICC as above stated, for looking the other way, and deliberately
failing/neglecting to arrest and prosecute Prof Ango Abdullahi, Alh. Yerima
Shettima and his group since the June 6 2017 when this despicable threat was
issued against Ndigbo in the North; and thereby aiding, abetting, condoning and
encouraging a second genocide against Ndigbo in the North.”
Obetta said that should it become necessary to proceed to
the ICC due to a refusal by the IGP to promptly comply with the Order of
Mandamus, nothing will stop his group from revisiting and pressing Charges at
the said ICC, against all the Ringleaders of the 1966 Genocide against Ndigbo
in the North.
He said: “It has just been announced with cynical fanfare,
that the above AYCF has ‘suspended’ its ‘Quit Notice’ against Ndigbo in the
North. I hereby wish to make it categorically clear that this so-called
suspension of the Quit Notice cannot in law, extinguish the grave offence
committed by Alhaji Yerima and his Group against Ndigbo in the North, on June 6 2017. Alh. Yerima must be
arrested and prosecuted alongside other Ring-Leaders of the AYCF, for their
treasonable threat against Ndigbo, to quit the North before October 1 2017. Nothing short of such
Arrest and Prosecution will suffice to settle the 3 Suits, as filed.
“It is no longer News that the cynical silence and manifest
bias of the FGN and its Agencies since the June 6 2017 when the Treasonable Threat against Ndigbo was
issued, has encouraged and opened a floodgate of ‘Hate Speeches and Songs’
currently awash on the Internet.
“Ndigbo in the North and indeed all over Nigeria, have been
the butt/victims of cynicism, oppression, repression and Extreme
Marginalization since the end of the Civil War on January 151970. Ndigbo in the
North have ever since, been serially and severally attacked and massacred at
the slightest pretext, by Northern Elements such as the Alh. Shettima’s AYCF.
“Irrespective of all above atrocities daily committed
against Ndigbo in Nigeria, the latter have remained calm and focused on their
businesses and enterprises, which have contributed in no small measure to the
economic and social development of Nigeria; all what they get in return is
daily oppression, repression, extreme marginalization and sometimes outright massacre
in the hands of misguided elements in the North.
“Worse still, the FGN which Constitutional Duty it is to
safeguard the lives and property of Ndigbo throughout the Federation, has
consistently looked the other way in the face of all above atrocities, thereby
aiding, abetting, condoning and encouraging same.
“The 1966 Massacre of Igbos in the North, was not only
condoned, but was celebrated by the eminent Northerners who indeed gloated
openly, over the gruesome event.
“The 1966 Genocide against Igbos in the North, has since the
end of Civil War, been swept under the carpet to the extent that it has been
banned by the FGN, from being mentioned in history lessons in all Nigerian
Schools. Furthermore, it is not even allowed to be mentioned in public and any
such mention otherwise, is regarded by the Nigerian
State, as Treason.
“Since 2015 when the incumbent FGN came to power, the cries
and agitations of Ndigbo against above repression and marginalization have been
equated to treason against the State, to the extent that unarmed and
defenseless civilians have been severally shot at and killed by Soldiers of the
Nigerian Army especially at Onitsha, Anambra State.
“A recent Report issued by Amnesty International says that
not less than 150 such unarmed and defenseless civilians have been shot at and
killed by Soldiers of the Nigerian Army especially at Onitsha,
since 2015.
“It is extremely distressing that coming out of all the
recent discourse across the Federation, (which Discourse has been ignited by
the ongoing Agitations by Ndigbo), Prof YemiOsinbajo and all other
eminent/elder Statesmen have obscenely remarked that in as much as Alh.Yerima
Shettima’s quit notice to Ndigbo in the North is condemnable, the ongoing
agitations by the same Ndigbo should stop forthwith.
“That is, they mean that the treason committed by Alh.Yerima
Shettima on June 6 2017, is a befitting response to the agitations of Ndigbo,
which agitations have since the end of the Civil War, been equated to treason
in any event.
“This absurd, nonsensical, illogical, extremely insensitive
and immoral position held as above by our elder statesmen, is akin to positing
that a child who is being pummeled and brutalized by his older sibling, can
only be rescued from his assailant when he stops crying. That is, for as long
as the pummeled child continues to cry, the pummeling is justified and must
continue!
“A Threat bordering on a flagrant violation of the
Fundamental Rights of Ndigbo in the North, and a Notice to the latter, of a
second Genocide against them should they fail to comply with such Threat, is
regarded under the law as such Fundamental Right already violated, and the
Genocide executed!
“Under the hallowed principle of ‘ubi jus ubiremedium’ it is
hard to see how the agitations of an oppressed and marginalized people have
violated the rights of any other Nigerian in any manner whatsoever. On the
other hand, the above threat by Alh.Yerima Shettima and his group clearly
violates the Fundamental Rights of Ndigbo in the North.
“Notwithstanding, the FGN has as above, perversely and
consistently held that such agitations constitute an act of treason against the
State, and therefore deserve to be met with threats of Genocide and Expulsion
from the North, by Alh. Shettima and his ilk.”
Obetta congratulated the United Nations who issued a
statement in Geneva last Friday calling on the FGN to immediately arrest members
of the Arewa youth group.
He also called on all men of good conscience all over the
World, including US President, UK Prime Minister and President of China
Republic to turn their much eagerly awaited attention to the deplorable plight
of Ndigbo in Nigeria,
and bring their influence to bear, to save Ndigbo from imminent annihilation
from the surface of the earth. “We must not allow ugly history to repeat itself
in this generation,” he stated.
