Adegboruwa sues Buhari, others over Biafra killings

Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa

• ‘Non-deployment of soldiers against Fulani herdsmen is sabotage’

Rights activist and lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has dragged President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Attorney-General of the Federation before the Federal High Court, Lagos over what he called constant invasion of Biafra protests by soldiers and policemen, leading to severe human casualties.

In the suit, which also has the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Navy Staff and the Chief of Air Staff as defendants, Adegboruwa is asking the court to halt the constant invasion of Biafra protests by security agents.

The lawyer avers that all Nigerian citizens are granted the right of free assembly and association, under section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and freedom of expression, under section 39 of the same Constitution.

He is, therefore, contending that members of the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) are entitled to assemble in any part of the country, for the purpose of demanding for self-determination, without any permit or licence.

“And when they so decide to gather, the police, the army, or indeed other security agencies are not entitled to invade their gathering, or to shoot them or to arrest and detain them, as was done in most parts of the South East, last week,” he said.

He, therefore, wants the court to affirm the rights of citizens to express themselves on any areas of grievance without let or hindrance from the security agencies.

Meanwhile, A pro-democracy and non-governmental organization, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has faulted the position of the Minister of Interior Affairs, Abdulrahman Dambaza, that government won’t deploy soldiers to confront killer Fulani herdsmen.

The rights group said the Minister of Interior, who has come under close scrutiny and intense criticisms for his alleged rash of one sided and sectional appointments of heads of para-military organisations under his watch, has just displayed crass lack of passion to finding lasting solution to the dare-devil activities of armed Fulani herdsmen.

He noted that their deadly violence visited on many farming communities, has by far outweighed the extent of damage and destruction wrought by Islamist Boko Haram terrorists.

HURIWA in a statement signed in Abuja, yesterday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Zainab Yusuf, said “it amounted to sabotage of the National Security interest and a constitutional breach for a federal cabinet member to take a position in tacit support of armed mass murderers.

He reiterated that they have in the last two years taken their brazen and murderous attacks to many more states across all geopolitical zones of Nigeria than even the dreaded armed Boko Haram terrorists, whose dare devilry have been substantially restricted to the North East; North Central and North West of Nigeria.”

The group added that the statement by the minister amounted to a direct confirmation of the apprehensions in many quarters about the backup and support from the highest political hierarchy given to members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle rearing association.

He noted that they constitute the bulk of the armed herdsmen that have terrorised Christian-dominated Southern and Northern Central States with over 10,000 casualties and assets worth several billions destroyed by the rampaging Fulani terrorists.

In the suit, marked. FHC/L/CS/775/2016, Adegboruwa is seeking among other reliefs, a declaration that the applicant and all other citizens of Nigeria are entitled to gather, assemble freely and express their opinions lawfully in the exercise of their fundamental rights.

No hearing date has yet been fixed for the suit.