Insecurity: UN Sends Strong Message To President Buhari

UN Urges Buhari To End Insurgency In Nigeria

The United Nations has made a call to President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently address the cases of killing and general insecurity plaguing the country.

Ms. Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, made the call during a press conference in Abuja on Monday.

She also urged the international community to pay special attention to the lingering violence particularly in the north-central region of Nigeria.

“The situation in the north-central appears to be spreading to other parts of the country. There is need for urgent actions to end the violence which is claiming thousands of lives.”

“According to my preliminary findings, Nigeria is a pressure cooker of internal conflicts with issues of poverty and climate change adding to the crisis.

“If the crisis in central Nigeria is ignored, its ripple effects will spread through the-sub region given Nigeria’s important role in the continent. If that happens, the major victim will be the vulnerable populations in the country,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), quotes the UN official as saying during the press conference.

She described the crimes been perpetuated as crimes against humanity and called for decisive actions in dealing with those found guilty.

“The crimes are against humanity; accountability must be delivered and the people must be involved and present in those processes.

“The suspected perpetrators – whether they are Boko Haram, other split groups or even security agencies – must also be held accountable,” Callamard added.

Callamard, however, expressed happiness that there are signs the challenges are surmountable judging by the decrease in the number of killings according to her report. She also called for such efforts to be sustained.

“I have found some positive signs; for instance, in the north-east, the number of allegations of arbitrary killings or death in custody has decreased over the last two years.

“This evolution needs to be thoroughly assessed to determine the factors and actors that allowed for that positive development.”

The UN official added her voice to the issue of ranching describing it as a welcome step in the right direction. She also called on the government to address the excesses of security operatives in discharging their responsibilities.

“Ranching is a long term measure but steps must be taken now and a great deal of discussions and consultations must take place.

“Due to the level of distrust and lack of confidence, more efforts must be placed on finding long-term solutions. There is need for a roadmap that must develop meaningful accountability.

“There must also be a real plan toward ending the excesses of the security agencies,” she said.