FG to Amnesty Int’l: Report on military rights abuses being considered

The federal government yesterday said a report submitted by a judicial panel which probed alleged rights abuses by the armed forces is currently being considered.
The reaction is coming hours after the rights group complained it was already taking too long to do so.
Amnesty International said in a statement yesterday morning that the presidency had failed to disclose the outcome of the seven-member panel more than a year after it was set up, expressing fears the report might be condemned into the archives like similar ones before it.
“The government must make good on its promise and show its commitment to transparency and accountability by publishing the report and publicly revealing how they will ensure justice for the victims,” the rights group said in the statement.
“Far too many previous investigative panels and inquiries set up by the government in the past ended nowhere, with no reports published to the public and little evidence of action taken by the government,” it added.
Amnesty was amongst several other rights groups which joined victims to make presentations before the judicial panel, led by Biobele George of the Court of Appeal.
The panel submitted its findings in February, but nothing has been heard from the Buhari administration ever since, a situation that has continued to unsettle rights groups.
A spokesperson for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande said in a message to Premium Times that another committee was raised to adopt a white paper on the report, indicating that it was not yet an appropriate time to make details of the report by Mr Georgewill’s panel public.
“There is a committee set up by the Federal Executive Council to draft the white paper,” Akande said, adding that “the committee has just commenced.” The spokesperson did not elaborate on the deadline given to the committee or its terms of reference.

Leave a Reply