The United States Department of
State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013 has slammed the
government of Goodluck Jonathan for its human rights record saying
the Authorities failed at times to maintain effective control over the
security forces and therefore the Security forces committed human
rights abuses. The report from Bureau of Democracy,Human Rights and
Labor just received by elombah.com however said that the most serious
human rights abuses during the year were those committed by Boko Haram,
which conducted killings, bombings, abduction and rape of women, and
other attacks throughout the country, resulting in numerous deaths,
injuries, and widespread destruction of property; those committed by
security services, which perpetrated extrajudicial killings, torture,
rape, beatings, arbitrary detention, mistreatment of detainees, and
destruction of property; and widespread societal violence, including
ethnic, regional, and religious violence.
According to the report, the 2011 presidential, gubernatorial, and legislative elections which saw President Jonathan elected as president to a four-year term, along with Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, also of the PDP was considered to be generally credible and orderly by International and domestic election observers although marred by violence, fraud, and irregularities.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria ultimately
upheld the results of the presidential election, while the Court of
Appeals upheld the results of most other contests.
The report stated that the insurgency in
the Northeast of militant terrorist sect Jama’atu Ahlis
Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, better known as Boko Haram (which
translates to “Western education is forbidden”), continued. Casualties
and human rights abuses associated with Boko Haram attacks and the
government’s response escalated.
On April 24, President Jonathan
inaugurated a Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security
Challenges in the North. Self-appointed Boko Haram spokespersons
rejected dialogue or amnesty.
On May 14, President Jonathan declared a
six-month state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states, which
was extended for another six months on November 20.
Further highlights of the report
includes other serious human rights problems like vigilante killings;
prolonged pretrial detention; denial of fair public trial; executive
influence on the judiciary; infringements on citizens’ privacy rights;
restrictions on the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, religion, and
movement; official corruption; violence against women; child abuse;
female genital mutilation/cutting (FMG/C); infanticide; sexual
exploitation of children; trafficking in persons; discrimination based
on sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, regional origin,
religion, and disability; forced and bonded labor; and child labor.
Impunity remained widespread at all
levels of government. The government brought few persons to justice for
abuses and corruption, and the president pardoned a former governor
convicted on six counts of corruption. Police and security forces
generally operated with impunity. Authorities did not investigate the
majority of cases of police abuse or punish perpetrators.
Throughout much of the country, Boko
Haram perpetrated numerous killings and attacks, often directly
targeting civilians. During the year the sect, which recruited child
soldiers, claimed responsibility for coordinated assaults on social and
transportation hubs in Kano; an attack on the town of Baga; multiple
attacks on schools and mosques; an attack on the town of Benesheik; and
the killing of government, religious, and traditional figures. On
February 17, the terrorist group Ansaru, believed to be a Boko Haram
faction, kidnapped seven foreigners in Bauchi State.
During the year, with government and
military support, a youth vigilante group known as the Civilian Joint
Task Force (C-JTF) emerged in the Northeast, centered around Maiduguri.
According to nongovernmental organization (NGO) and press reports, C-JTF
members included children and committed extrajudicial killings.
Other organized criminal forces in the
southern and middle parts of the country also committed abuses, such as
kidnappings. The overall level of violence in the Niger Delta, which had
declined briefly after a 2009 general amnesty, continued to rise again
during the year.
Elombah.com
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