NATIONAL coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko has stressed the need for respect for human rights as the Nigeria Army prosecutes the counter-insurgency and terrorism operations in the country.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, he applauded the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai for ensuring that no military personnel was involved in human rights abuses while on duty.

He said the fact that steps had been taken to prosecute officers and personnel of the Nigerian Army involved in human rights abuses in the country underlined by Buratai’s commitment to respect human rights.

Noting that the war on terror was a collective responsibility of Nigerians, the rights activist who was a former Federal Commissioner and governing council member of Nigeria National Human Rights Commission  (NHRC), expressed support for the synergy between Nigeria Army and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) towards achieving the objective.

Onwubiko who was also a member of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Restoration of Peace in Northern Nigeria  (PCCDR ) noted: “Already we have met with the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai and his management team whereby we appealed to the Army hierarchy not to derail from this renewed vigour of mainstream respect for human rights in the internal security operations of the military so the fundamental rights of the citizenry are protected and promoted. The Army was created by the constitution for the Nigerian people and the Nigerian people are the owners of Nigeria’s sovereignty.  The people of Nigeria are the ones who confer authority and legitimacy on government and all institutions of governance including the Army and so it’s imperative that only public good is promoted by all and sundry. We will keep a close watch to ensure the Army abides by rules of engagement. There’s the need for the civil and military relations to be expanded, strengthened and sustained for the betterment of our country and our people.

“This synergy between Army and NBA is a welcome development and is capable of engendering hope in the change agenda of the current Federal government and so we pass a vote of confidence on the Chief of Army Staff in this specific program and we are committed to partnering with the military to promote human rights.

We acknowledge the commitment of the Chief of Army Staff to embed human rights association in the overall root-branch reform of the Army; massive re-training and re-orientation, while at the same time, commend and challenge the military hierarchy to punish all culprits implicated in human rights violations and to uphold respect for rule of law. We believe that this partnership will ensure that we collectively strive to create a nation that upholds the fundamental rights and promotion of all citizens.”

On the recent face off between the Nigerian Army and the Shiite Islamic movement of Nigeria accused of rights violations and gun running, he said: “Yes, questions still linger why such a weighty allegation was ever swept under the carpet. Recently, a Muslim cleric in Kaduna revisited the matter by alleging involvement of the Shiites movement in Zaria in illegal weapons trafficking and military training. The Nigerian federal government must focus on these damaging allegations to uncover the veracity or otherwise of it so culprits are punished because impunity such as letting smugglers of weapons go scot free promotes terrorism and the wanton killings of innocent Nigerians.

“HURIWA and our affiliate continental body the Association of African Writers on Human Rights (AFRIRIGHTS) are happy that Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai impressed with the presentation made before the investigative panel of the National Human Rights Commission in which he came out very strong to defend the action taken by his men that complied to the rules of engagement. We are giving him the benefit of the doubts hoping that the findings of the panel will be far reaching.  The Army is a great institution that must be enabled to train her members on the necessity of complying to best global practices and respect for the human rights of Nigerians.

Onwubiko also spoke on the activities of the defeated Boko Haram Islamists group in the north east of the country, he expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Nigerian armed forces in living up to their responsibilities.

He said: “The Rise of International Terrorism is one of the threat factors to international peace and security. Terrorism is not a new phenomenon in the world. It has been in existence for centuries. However, what is new about terrorism is its occurrence beyond the confines of national borders. Previously terrorism was confined to individual states. It was one of the methods used by anti-governmental elements that opposed government policy or action to violently cause harm on individuals and property to force the government to revert its policy or action.