Guber Polls: Let’s not undermine the Military Institution-HURIWA
By Daudu Huleji Emmanuel
A leading pro-democracy and non-governmental organization – Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has waded into the controversy trailing the activities of the Army during the Saturday governorship polls with a call on politicians and stakeholders not to rubbish the military institution by heaping unsubstantiated allegations.
However, HURIWA has thrown her weight behind the decision of the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai to immediately activate effective mechanisms to forensically investigate the series of trending online videos which appears to indict some armed security forces on a number of serial electoral offences and for instigating violence in Rivers Bayelsa and some of flashpoints in the crude oil rich Niger Delta region.
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko the National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) said in a media briefing on Monday in Abuja, that the claim by the military authority that there were incidents of fake soldiers that were deployed by politicians during the governorship polls should not be dismissed with a wave of hands since there are verifiable evidence that indeed hundreds of suspected fake armed men masquerading as soldiers were picked up in Imo, Rivers, Ondo and other areas and are currently being interrogated.
“We urge Nigerians to remember that the institution of the Nigerian military is created by law to serve public interest and so must be preserved and insulated from undue politically tainted allegations that may not stand the test of time. We are not unaware of some allegations by some governors in the Niger Delta accusing soldiers of collusion to undermine democracy, but we must give the Army the benefits of the doubts and assist the military institution to embark on holistic probe with the objective of preserving their political neutrality and to build an enviable professional institution that all of us and our children yet unborn would be proud of. We must not allow our temporary and unbridle quest for political power to lead us into the temptation of running down such a formidable institution like the Nigerian Army because of the alleged malfeasance and misdemeanor of a few undesirable elements who may have derailed from the time honoured ethical and legal principles clearly listed out by the Chief of Army Staff on the need to abide by Rules of engagement in internal security operations. We have a written proof that the Army has a mandatory manual on rules of engagements in internal military operations in line with best global practices.
It could be recalled, that the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Colonel Sagir Musa had said in a statement that these thugs in military uniform are sent by politicians to carry out crimes in their interests.
