AMIDST national crisis over the shooting of unarmed protesters at the
Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos on Tuesday, a delegation from the United
States government has arrived in Nigeria.
The team was at Aso Rock on Thursday to discuss with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo behind closed doors.
The
team, according to the US Mission in Nigeria “discussed ongoing
violence, the importance of allowing citizens to peacefully demonstrate,
and accountability and justice for victims.”
The team comprises
of US Assistant Secretary, Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and
Labour, Bob Destro; US Assistant Secretary, Bureau for Conflict
Stabilisation Operations, Denise Natali; the Counselor of the US
Department of State, Thomas Ulrich Brechbuhl; and the Charge d’Affairs,
US Embassy, Kathleen FitzGibbon.
A statement from the US Mission
in Nigeria said the team raised US’ concerns about ongoing violence in
Nigeria, human rights, religious freedom, and trafficking in persons and
heard from senior Nigerian government officials how they were
addressing those issues.
The statement said: “The Counselor
expressed the US condemnation of the use of excessive force by military
forces who fired on unarmed demonstrators in Lagos.
He expressed
condolences to the victims of these shootings and urged the government
of Nigeria to abide by its commitment to hold those responsible
accountable under the law.”
Another message from the Mission on
Friday afternoon disclosed that the team met with a broad spectrum of
Federal Government officials, governors, human rights activists and
civil society representatives, religious leaders, conflict mitigators,
donor partners, and the police.
“Together, we continue our
collaboration on our common goals of improving civilian security,
promotion of human rights, and enhancing economic opportunities,” the
message said.
Responding, Vice President Osinbajo expressed the hope that such cooperation would create better understanding of the issues.
He
assured the visiting US officials that the plan of both the federal and
state governments to investigate police brutality and prosecute erring
police officers, create new state-based security and human rights
committees, as well as provide compensation to victims of the disbanded
Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other police units would be a
game-changer in ensuring an end to impunity.
A statement issued
by the Vice President’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, on Friday, said
Osinbajo informed the delegation that at least 13 states in the country,
including Lagos, had since established judicial panels “to seek justice
and to compensate those whose rights have been breached.” While
responding to the concerns of the US government on instances of impunity
in the country, the vice president noted that these efforts were part
of the Nigerian government’s commitment to implementing extensive police
reforms.
He added that the establishment of judicial panels of
inquiry nationwide would further ensure that the police and other
security agencies ensure the protection of human rights of citizens.
The
statement quoted Osinbajo as saying: “The concerns around impunity are
some of the concerns that informed the establishment of judicial panels
of inquiry across states.
Each state is now required to
establish judicial inquiry that will look into cases of impunity,
excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings etc, especially by law
enforcement agents. “Aside from two representatives of civil society
groups, these judicial panels will have youth representatives and a
representative from the National Human Rights Commission, among others.
Each state is also required to have what is called the Special Security
and Human Rights Committee to ensure that law enforcement and security
agencies protect the human rights of citizens.”
“Government is
paying attention. The point we are making is that protests are a means
to an end, but they cannot be the end. We are very optimistic that what
we have put in place would eventually yield the best possible results
for us.”
Osinbajo also highlighted what he termed false
narratives about Nigeria, including the herder-farmer crisis, especially
in North Central states and the politics behind the allegations.
According to him, the herder-farmer crisis was exacerbated mainly
because of land and resources struggle rather than the misinterpreted
Christians-versus-Muslim narrative.