The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA,
and its continental body, Association of African Writers on Human and
Peoples Rights, AFRIRIGHTS, have jointly backed the decision at the weekend by
the former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika
(rtd), to institute a judicial proceeding against the self-acclaimed negotiator
with Boko Haram, Dr Stephen Davis of Australia challenging the allegations
linking him (General Ihejirika) to the sponsorship of the dreaded terrorist
organisation.
The rights groups have at the same time thrown their
weight behind the clean bill of health given General Ihejirika by the
Department of State Security, DSS.
The rights groups expressed strong doubts on the possible
links between the patriotic leadership style adopted whilst in military service
by General Ihejerika which significantly quashed several attempts by the armed
Islamic Insurgents to successfully attack several soft civilian targets,
describing the allegations of sponsorship of the group as “unbelievable and
substantially gutter allegations.”
The human rights organisations said it was inconceivable
that a fine gentleman like Ihejirika who spearheaded the establishment and
funding of a vibrant pro-human rights unit within the Army headquarters known
as Civilian-Military Relations Unit could be so linked to the sponsorship of a
well sophisticated terror group which has links with global jihadist platforms
and which the then Chief of Army Staff waged unrelenting battle with, in order
to crush them.
In a media statement jointly signed by the national
coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the national media affairs
director, Ms Zainab Yusuf of the HURIWA, on behalf of both rights bodies, the
groups said when the “wild and substantially half-baked beer parlour tissues of
lies were circulated by the Australian Dr Stephen Davis in which he in an
unmistakable but mischievous fashion alleged that the erstwhile Chief of Army
Staff, General Ihejirika was involved in the sponsorship of the dreaded Islamic
rebels known as Boko Haram, we took it with a pinch of salt hoping that in the
shortest possible period the person being wrongly accused in the most bizarre
way by a foreigner who wears a self-acclaimed toga as the sole individual
negotiator with the Boko Haram, will rise to the occasion and provide
unassailable and evidence-based responses and we are indeed glad that General
Ihejirika has not disappointed we the members of the organised civil society
community in Nigeria and on the African continent regarding his complete state
of innocence.”
The Rights groups further stated: “After a very comprehensive
background investigation of the official and unofficial activities of the
immediate past Chief of Army Staff, General Onyeabor Ihejirika, we have found
out that his well considered defence against this range of wild allegations of
sponsorship of the Boko Haram Insurgency for now remain unassailable and
impregnable given the list of projects and units that this fine gentleman
established whilst in service and indeed while he headed the Nigerian Army and
this included the establishment of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army with
operational location in the epicentre of the counter insurgency activities of
the joint military task force in Maiduguri.
“General Ihejirika without any
shadow of doubts was responsible for the consolidation and strengthening of the
Nigerian Army's media information processing centre, an outfit credited with
liberalising the unimpeded flow of information concerning the counter
insurgency battles waged by the Nigerian military. This gentleman also
established many pro-democracy structures within the Nigerian military to
promote and protect the professional and human rights of the fighters. We then
wonder from where this Australian got his false and substantially embarrassing
allegations linking General Ihejirika even in the remotest of ways with the
sponsorship actively or passively of the completely armed Islamic terror group.
“HURIWA and AFRIRIGHTS have taken profound notice with
delight the decision of General Ihejirika through his formidable team of legal
professionals headed by the reputable Professor of Law and a Senior Advocate of
Nigeria Professor C.U Ilegbune to warn through a strongly worded legal
notice/letter to Dr Stephen Davis, the Australian self -made negotiator, to
demand that he tenders an immediate and comprehensive apology within specific
legal period of time and pay compensation of $50 Billion USD or face huge legal
battles to be waged by him to clear his name of these damaging but false
allegations linking him to the dreaded Boko Haram Insurgents.”
HURIWA is a democracy inclined
non-governmental organisation with over 20,000 members across Nigeria.
http://www.factfinders.com.ng/
27 Oct. 2014
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