Movement of the People of Nigeria (MOP), a civil society organisation has frowned at the suit instituted by some persons against Nigeria’s military leadership before a United States (U.S.) District Court for the District of Columbia.
THE NIGERIAN noted that a United States (U.S.) District Court for the District of Columbia had granted leave to 10 Biafran plaintiffs to sue Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and 13 others for complicity in the 2016 torture and extra-judicial killings under colour of Nigeria law to retaliate for peaceful Biafran protests against ethnic or religious oppression.
Brought under the Torture Victims Protection Act and Alien Tort Claims Act Complaint, the plaintiffs are seeking millions of dollars as damages to compensate for their grievous losses and suffering.
Reacting, however, Chairman of the group, Innocent Oche Pita in a statement forwarded to THE NIGERIAN tagged the suit as a calculated attempt to rubbish the US judiciary for its liberal stand on human rights and protection of lives, abuse the law under which the suit is filed so that it no longer serves the purpose for which it was crafted, and to use it to cause strain in Nigeria – US relations.
According to him, “ Secrecy in a case that claims to be as grounded as the plaintiffs claimed is dubious as it implies that criminals can hide under such unanimity to further questionable agenda. The plaintiffs would only fear exposing their identities either because they are not real in the first place or that they are persons with criminal records in the US.”
He alleged that people behind the suit are not Nigerians and should stop dragging the name of the country’s military to the mud.
He added that, “This is why we are worried that even non-Nigerians can be coached to give evidence since it is apparent that the people that filed the suit are not honest enough to show themselves.”
The group’s leader vowed that MOP will raise its own team of lawyer to confront anyone or any group that is out to rubbish the image of our great country or attempts to further diminish its citizenry in the eyes of citizens of the world.
“ Much as it is glaring that the US courts lack jurisdiction to try such issues, it is good to state clearly that there is no record or evidence that the Nigerian Military abused the rights of any citizen within or outside the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and those who fear such are common criminals who had held the country by the jugular in the recent past through acts like banditry, kidnaping and gun-for-hire.
“The world is aware that Nigeria has suffered in the hands of terrorists and extremists and the Biafra agitators are another brand of terrorists that must not be admitted into the United States, Nigeria or any other peace loving nation. It will be wise for the Trump administration and the security agencies to discretely investigate the plaintiffs as regards their activities in the United State before they become the kind of nuisance that is presently threatening the United Kingdom and other European countries,” he added.
