A member of the United States Congress,
Tom Marino, has written a letter to Secretary of State, John Kerry,
asking the US government to withhold security assistance to Nigeria
until President Muhammadu Buhari demonstrates a “commitment to inclusive
government and the most basic tenets of democracy: freedom to assemble
and freedom of speech”.
He also asked the State Department to
refrain from selling warplanes and other military equipment to Nigeria
until President Buhari establishes a track record of working towards
inclusion.
In a two-page letter dated September 1,
2016 and addressed to Kerry, a copy of which was exclusively obtained by
ThisDay on Saturday, September 3, 2016, Marino, a Republican from
Pennsylvania who assumed office on January 3, 2011, said there were a
number of warning signs emerging in the Buhari administration that
signal “the man who once led Nigeria as a military dictator might be
sliding towards former autocratic tendencies”.
The Congressman, who is a member of the
Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs, and
the Chairman, Sub-committee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and
Antitrust Law, said Nigerian government must “hold accountable those
members of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Military complicit
in extra-judicial killings and war crimes”.
In the six-paragraph letter to Kerry,
Marino also expressed concern over Nigeria’s anti-corruption war, saying
“of additional concern is President Buhari’s selective anti-corruption
drive, which has focused almost exclusively on members of the opposition
party, over-looking corruption amongst some of Buhari’s closest
advisors. Politicizing his anti-corruption efforts has only reinforced
hostility among southerners”.
His letter to Kerry reads: “Dear
Secretary Kerry, I am encouraged by the personal interest you have taken
in aiding Nigeria and its administration as it takes on endemic
corruption, multiple insurgent movements, and a faltering economy.
However, I believe there are a number of warning signs emerging in the
Buhari administration that signal “the man who once led Nigeria as a
military dictator might be sliding towards former autocratic
tendencies.”
“I would urge the U.S. to withhold its
security assistance to the nation until President Buhari demonstrates a
commitment to inclusive government and the most basic tenets of
democracy: freedom to assemble and freedom of speech. A logical start
towards this commitment is for the Nigerian government to hold
accountable those members of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian
Military complicit in extra-judicial killings and war crimes”.
“Human rights groups like Amnesty
International have widely documented torture, inhumane treatment, and
extra-judicial killings of defenseless Nigerians since President Buhari
took office.”
Quoting Amnesty International Report, he
wrote, “in the last six months, Nigeria’s military has unlawfully
killed at least 350 people and allowed more than 168 people, including
babies and children, to die in military detention.”
He further wrote: “The Secretary to the
Government of Kaduna State even admitted to burying 347 of those killed
in a mass grave. And while President Buhari promised swift condemnation,
his words rang empty. Instead of swift reforms, Buhari chose to
reinstate Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, who Amnesty International
revealed was in charge of the Nigerian military unit that executed more
than 640 unarmed, former detainees.
“Also, in separate incidents concerning
the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Nigerian Army has killed at
least 36 – the real number is likely higher – people since December 2015
in an attempt to silence opposition and quell attempts by the group to
gather publicly.”
Describing President Buhari as a former
military dictator whose reign (as military head of state) was cut short
by a coup, he stated that the President has continually shunned
inclusivity in favour of surrounding himself with advisors and ministers
from the north of the country and the region he considers home.
“Of President Buhari’s 122 appointees,
77 are from the north and control many of the key ministries and
positions of power. Distrust is already high in Nigeria and favouring
Northerners for key appointments has only antagonized the issue. These
appointments are also primarily Muslim in the north and Christian in the
south, adding a religious aspect to long-held regional biases.
“Of additional concern is President
Buhari’s selective anti-corruption drive, which has focused almost
exclusively on members of the opposition party, over-looking corruption
amongst some of Buhari’s closest advisors. Politicizing his
anti-corruption efforts has only reinforced hostility among
southerners,” he claimed in the letter.
He said the Obama Administration would
advance justice by urging the Buhari Administration to act decisively to
hold accountable members of the police and military.
The congressman said, “This is a logical
first step in making a demonstrable, sustained commitment to inclusive
democracy, with distributed power in Nigeria. Until President Buhari
establishes a track record of working towards inclusion, we ask the
State Department to refrain from selling warplanes and other military
equipment to the country.
“The State Department should urge
President Buhari to form a government that represents the diversity of
its citizens and allows dissenting voices to be heard. Democracy can
thrive only if people are free to assemble, to express their beliefs,
and voice their concerns.”
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