Amidst disorienting violence against troops and gory stories of reprisal attacks on communities in Okuama and Igbomotoru communities in Delta and Bayelsa States in Nigeria, the Center for Democracy and Development West Africa (CDD-WA) says an independent and impartial investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the skirmishes in the Delta is the way forward. “An exhaustive investigation should take into consideration the perspectives of communities, including representatives of the civil society”, said CDD in a statement signed by Sa’eed Husaini, the Acting Director of the Center. 16 soldiers and 40 civilians are CDD’s current figures of casualties.
For the CDD West Africa, the killing of both soldiers and civilians is deplorable and should promptly be followed by independent investigations with the objective of bringing the alleged perpetrators of the dastardly acts to justice. CDD argues that it is important to ensure that those found guilty of these heinous crimes are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
But while condemning the actions of citizens purported to have carried out criminal attacks on the soldiers, the CDD is also strongly condemning “the unprofessional conduct of officers who are alleged to have invaded communities and visited jungle justice on innocent and defenceless residents, including forcing women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities to flee their homes.”
This, says CDD-WA, goes against the spirit of the military as an institution of the Nigerian State and the responsibility that goes with that in relation to maintaining “the highest standards of professionalism in its interactions with Nigerian citizens”. CDD-WA is convinced the disturbing reports of reprisal attacks on communities since the unfortunate incidents occurred will lead to a further escalation of the situation and the needless loss of more lives. Calling such knee-jerk reactions, it says they violate the fundamental rights of members of the affected communities in Delta and Bayelsa States where angry soldiers have reportedly razed houses in retaliation.
Taking note of denial of these actions by the military high command, CDD is calling on the Federal, State and local authorities to work with community leaders to identify those responsible for these heinous crimes, apprehend them and bring them to justice. It draws attention to how how punitive expeditions in Odi and Zaki Biam created more problems instead of solving them. “These ugly precedents led to distrust and animosities between the nation’s security forces and citizens. Furthermore, deploying brute force in situations like these aggravates the risk of radicalising communities and provides justification for the formation of hardline groups”, said CDD. It cites the example of the Boko Haram insurgency, which escalated partly as a result of the extrajudicial killing of one of the group’s leaders, saying that offers an enduring lesson on how not to manage such conflicts. The Nigerian government and the military high command must therefore learn the crucial lessons from these past experiences and exercise restraint, cautions CDD which is similarly calling for steps that addresses what it calls the deteriorating relations between the citizens and the military, inserting the point about the Nigerian Army not allowing criminals to provoke to undermine the fundamental rights of innocent persons, taking into consideration its role of defending the country’s territorial integrity since independence.
For de-escalation, it further calls on all stakeholders, traditional and community leaders to promote peacebuilding and be mindful of the need to seek peace and preserve Nigeria’s unity.
