A non-governmental Organisation (NGO), Professionals for Better Nigeria (PBN) has knocked Amnesty Intentional (AI) for what it described as “false, mischievous and malicious allegations” against the Nigerian Army.
The organisation frowned at manner which AI’s report castigated the Nigerian Army despite its bid to the rid the nation of criminals and constitutional role to protect and safeguard territorial integrity of the country.
Below is the full text of the statement:
The attention of Professionals for Better Nigeria (PBN) has been drawn to the false, mischievous and malicious allegations made by the Amnesty Intentional (AI) against the Nigerian Army in its bid to the rid the nation of criminals and its assigned constitutional role of the protection and safeguard of the territorial integrity of the country and the protection of lives and property.
As champions of transparency, accountability and good governance in Public Service and the total wellbeing of Nigerians for the development of the country, the reports from Amnesty International is not only biased but unpatriotic and a smear campaign of calumny against our hard fighting and patriotic Nigerian military, whose only crime is not allowing the Boko Haram insurgents to override the territory and occupy the Nigerian state. We are therefore, constrained to issue the following statements:-
- The reports by Amnesty International against the Nigerian Army is a systematic ploy and agenda orchestrated in order to change the narrative against the Nigerian Army and win the support of its citizens in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents. It is on record that whenever the insurgents have an upper hand, the AI says nothing, but when the Nigerian Army is having its way on ravaging and decimating the terrorists, AI comes into the foray, to bash and accuse the Nigerian Army of crimes against humanity. It is obvious that AI has continued to undermine the sovereignty of Nigeria by leading a psychological war on terror against the people of Nigeria while the insurgents are on the battle front to capture the territories.
- The recently orchestrated reports on the Nigerian Army is not only malicious, mischievous and a fallacy but a wicked lie from the pit of hell, cooked up allegedly by AI to paint the Nigerian Army as rapists at the camps of Internally Displaced persons (IDPs).The continued attacks by AI and its cohorts have lend credence to the belief in the public domain that AI have fallen short of its mandate by championing the course of terrorists, defending criminals, and criminalities across the country.
- The deliberate blackmail, witch-hunt is unfortunate and mischievously carried out by AI against the Nigerian Army since 2011. The said report is not only spurious, wicked and mischievous but a fabricated fallacy by a frustrated human rights body in its deliberate plans to change the positive and proactive narrative of the Nigerian Army and portray it in bad light by undermining its constitutional responsibilities in favour of the Boko Haram insurgents, for its own personal agenda and self-serving.
- We make boldly to say, that the orchestrated swear campaign against the Nigerian Army in the media by AI and mischief makers are intended to drag the name of the Nigerian military into odium and public ridicule and also put it in a negative public perception. Our worries stem from the fact that these narrative from AI donning the garb of human rights watch is calculated to tarnish the hard fought war by the Nigerian Army including the loss of lives by our officers and men infavour of the Boko-Haram insurgents, because overtime, the reports have favored the terrorists rather than the Nigerian military. We therefore, urge Nigerians to be vigilant and not to be hoodwinked by these “reports” by AI as they are not patriotic and do not have the unity, peace and stability of the nation at heart and therefore should be jettisoned by all Nigerians as biased and lopsided and called on Nigerians to give full support and cooperation to our military and urged them to sustain the tempo.
- We salute the Nigerian Army gallantry, patriotism, new sense of urgency, transparency, rules of engagement and the direction in the fight against the insurgency and criminalities across the country. The enormous improvement in military equipment, fire power and the overall capabilities displayed in military operations is a welcome development supported by all Nigerians. As an advocacy organ, we condemn in strong terms, the intemperate castigation, malicious reports deliberated orchestrated to smear the hard earned reputation of the Nigerian Army across the globe for its sterling antecedence over the years. We therefore, ask Nigerians to discountenance the reports; disregard the innuendos by AI to draw the ire of the Nigerian people against the military and therefore demand AI to desist forthwith the blackmail, intrigues, misinformation, intimidation and orchestrated propaganda against the Nigerian military that has been the toast of the world in peace keeping operations across Africa.
- By this negative narrative of the AI, we are worried that AI sees nothing good in Nigeria’s military despite her superlative records in human rights. These spurious fabrication aimed at tarnishing the image of the military goes on unabated for years now, including the lopsidedness in Amnesty’s portrayal of Nigeria, its constant meddling in our local politics, tacit support for terrorists and other belligerent groups, to cause Internal disorder, remain unacceptable to Nigerians and other well-meaning citizens of the world. We therefore call on AI to stop condemning and giving negative and false reports on the activities of the military in the discharge of its patriotic, loyal and constitutional assigned responsibilities within the rules of engagements and international acceptable best practices. It is commendable and noteworthy that the Nigerian military is presently rehabilitating the IDPs to their towns and villages
Diokpa Obi Iwanka Comr. Chimeze Oyiuke
National Coordinator Publicity Secretary
