25th November, 2021
PRESS RELEASE :
#ENDSARS REPORT LACKS CREDIBILITY - MURIC
An
Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has
broken its silence on the leaked #EndSARS report on the clash between
protesters and Nigeria’s security agencies at Lekki Toll Gate whick took place
on October 20, 2020. Expectedly, the group handed down a resounding verdict of rejection
of the report, describing it as full of loopholes and lacking credibility.
MURIC’s
verdict was pronounced on Thursday, 25th November, 2021 by its
director and founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The group
said:
“In the wake of a Tsunami of rejections
which greeted the leaked report of the #EndSARS report, we of the Muslim Rights
Concern (MURIC), having critically scrutinised the report with the aid of
experts hereby affirm that the said report is full of loopholes, discrepancies,
half truths, irregularities and inconsistencies too many to mention.
“For the sake of clarity, we assert that
life is sacred and to that extent we abhor the killing of protesters even if it
is just one person. But that does not give a panel the excuse to come up with
concocted figures from resurrected ghosts or the licence to endorse criminality.
#EndSARS panel suffers from desertification of credibility.
“The wordings of the report is
replete with terminological inexactitude. Exempli gratia, the word ‘massacre’
was used to describe the so called killing of a total of nine people whereas ‘massacre’
is used for the killing of tens, hundreds and thousands of people. This is
symptomatic of a desperation to indict at all cost.
“Nigerians were made to suffer the
trauma of mathematical juggling from DJ Switch’s 78 bodies to CNN’s 56, BBC’s 38 and the
feminists’ paltry figure of 23 which the panel pruned down to nine (9) bodies. But
analysts have even reduced the figure to three or four after establishing prima facie
cases of improper evaluation of evidence. This report cannot stand the test of
time.
“There are outright lies in the report. For
instance, the Doctor at
Reddingtons never mentioned that a dead body was deposited at the hospital, yet
the panel claimed on page 287 that he did. A body was alleged to have been
deposited in an hospital whose officials later said had no mortuary facility. A man who reported seeing
the lifeless body of his brother himself was listed as one of the dead. Kolade
Salami, who was killed in 2019, was listed among the victims of Lekki
shootings.
“Half
names were given without addresses while no relations have turned up to claim
bodies. Yet the panel recommends payment of compensation to the non-existing families.
People who died long ago were listed as victims of the Lekki shooting. These
are some of the reasons the panel’s recommendations are laughable, irrational
and unrealistic. A kindergarten lawyer will tear the panel’s report into shreds
within minutes.
“We find it most unusual and unethical that
the panel rejected the testimony of ballistic experts who testified before
it. This points to a hidden agenda and a pre-determined position. Another major defect in the report is in the
composition of the panel. We have reason to believe that the state government
was rail-roaded into including people who had expressed support for the protest as well as certain anti-establishment elements in the panel. One
of the key drivers of the panel has led several protests at the same spot
(Lekki) against the state government. He is also in court against the
government.
“Contrary to the maxim nemo judex in causa sua
(one cannot be a judge in his own case), such people sat in judgement on a
matter they have expressed interest. This may be traced to the fact that the
panel was set up when Lagos was burning and certain proviso may have
been given by the protesters. We foresee a prolonged legal battle if this
leaked report is accepted by the panel’s convener.
“We call on the global community to patiently
peruse the leaked report and subject it to critical analysis before jumping to
conclusions. There is no point asking the Nigerian government to implement recommendations
reached per
in curiam (in manifest error). The lack of
balance in the report is most glaring when it is realised that none of those
who participated in the destruction of public properties were recommended for
sanction. It is too one-sided. The panel had no single word of condemnation for
those who brutally killed 22 policemen. Some of the murdered policemen were
roasted and eaten a la cannibal.
“We call on Western countries, especially the
United States, to compare this to what is happening to insurrectionists of 6th
January 2020 at the Capitol. Some aides of ex-President Donald Trump were
subpoenaed yesterday, 24th November, 2021. Steve Bannon, former Whitehouse Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to
the President, has been indicted for his role in the attack on Capitol Hill
but the Lagos panel wants compensation for
arsonists who burned more than 300 brand new luxurious buses meant for public
transport a well as the Lagos High Court complex. Who does that?
“Human rights groups and the rest of
civil society can be radical. This is their nature. But like the media, they
must also be rational and level-headed, otherwise they will militarise the
youth, incite insurrection and promote social disorder. Group terror will supplant perceived government
tyranny. The oppression of capitalist comprador bourgeoisie will simply be
replaced by gang totalitarian dictatorship. The jamahiir (the poor masses)
will end up as the victims.
“In MURIC, our belief is that
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are not necessarily enemies of the
system. They can partner with government to improve the people’s welfare.
“In view of the above, we are
constrained to conclude that the panel made a futile attempt to fetch water for
Nigerians with a rickety old basket. The more they try to fill the basket, the
more the water leaked. The convener of the panel has a duty to come to the
panel’s aid following due process at every step. This rickety old basket must
be replaced by those who know how to fetch water successfully.”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
No comments:
Post a Comment