A pro-military group, Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights, has issued a 7-day ultimatum to Amnesty International to leave the country over the latter’s report on Lekki shooting which occurred last month.
This is not the first time the international rights group will be asked to leave the country over its activities bordering on human rights abuses by the authorities, TODAY POLITICS recalls.
The last, of the calls which began in 2016, occurred in February when a seizable number of demonstrators, suspected to have paid by state agents, accused the body of sponsoring terrorists groups in its bid to destabilize the nation.
On October 20, personnel of the Nigerian military were caught on camera opening live rounds on peaceful protesters demanding nationwide police reforms at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State.
Although the military initially denied the claim, it later admitted its men were on ground and at the scene on the time of the attack dismissing claims of opening fire on the demonstrators.
In its report, Amnesty International indicted the force and this has led global notable figures and groups including the International Criminal Court (ICC) calling for probe of the incident.
Ms Ajibola who leads the pro-military group accused Amnesty Nigeria of providing unconfirmed death toll to rally international support for condemnation of the massacre. At a press briefing in Abuja today, she threatened grave consequences against Amnesty Nigeria and its staff members.
“For Nigeria to rebuild, Amnesty must be out of the way and out of the way for good,” Ajibola said, adding that Amnesty’s “failure to leave Nigeria will attract civil disobedience at its offices based in Abuja and in Lagos on a scale that would make the campaign of looting and arson it facilitated appear like child’s play.
“The protesters might have made a misleading claim of a massacre at Lekki Toll-Gate and the lie that 78 people were killed, but it took Amnesty International’s amplification of that lie for the international community and super-national organisations to wrongly accuse and condemn Nigeria and its government.
“Amnesty International’s offices and those of all its affiliated organisations and known supporters in Nigeria will be set upon the same way that its agents destroyed critical assets of the country.
“Its staffers will be treated that innocent policemen and our children lynched by mobs were treated. The countdown for the seven-day ultimatum begins now,” she threatened.
