A coalition of civil society groups under the aegis of Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) have threatened to Occupy Aso Rock Villa, if the President Muhamamdu Buhari-led government and security agents do not apprehend and prosecute those behind the Agatu, Benue state massacre of March and the recent Enugu massacre in seven days.
Both massacres are suspected to have been carried out by Fulani herdsmen.
The group urged the President to break his silence and urgently wade into the incessant Fulani herdsmen attack of communities and killing of innocent villagers before the attacks plunge the country into crisis.
They also asked President Buhari to live up to his Oath of Office he swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the country or step aside.
Section 33 (1) of the 1999 constitution as amended guarantees that: “Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.”
Section 227 of the constitution further provides that: “No association shall retain, organise, train or equip any person or group of persons for the purpose of enabling them to be employed for the use or display of physical force or coercion in promoting any political objective or interest or in such manner as to arouse reasonable apprehension that they are organised and trained or equipped for that purpose.”
Rising from an expanded meeting on the ‘State of the Nation’ on
Wednesday, the group said that the ongoing massacre of innocent Nigerians by the Fulani herdsmen, threatened the spirit and provisions of the 1999 constitution that guaranteed right to life to every Nigerian.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, the group while sympathising with the victims of the attacks, they called on the security agencies to be alive to their constitutional duties of protecting the lives and property of the citizens. The group also urged the security agents to increase their intelligent gathering mechanism so as to forestall the future occurrence.
The coalition include Centre for Constitutional Rights and Counter Corruption Crusader; Save Lagos Group (SLG); The Conscience Mainstream (TMG); African Masses Voices for Survival (AMVS); The Christians Youths for the Peoples’ Rights and Development (CYPRD),Islamic Movement for Muslims’ Rights (IMMR).
Today.ng
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