By Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale
Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, has challenged President Goodluck Jonathan to take the issue of security of lives and property seriously, saying the wanton loss of lives was retrogressive and keeps Nigerians in perpetual fear.

National President of the association, Dr. Idris Omede, who condemned the Christmas bombings and killings of Christians in their places of worship in some parts of the North, in a chat with Vanguard, called on government at all levels to take urgent steps to forestall future occurrences.

Omede lamented the after-effect of such bombings on the health of Nigerians and the victims in particular.

He appealed to members of NMA, particularly doctors and other health professionals at the National Hospital Abuja, NHA, Abuja University Teaching Hospital, other public and private hospitals, where causalities were rushed, to effeciently perform their duties to save lives.

He urged Nigerians to also help in ensuring that bomb blast victims survived by donating blood free of charge.

Omede said: “Volunteers are requested to donate blood at National Hospital Abuja, Univer-sity of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada and also at National Blood Transfusion Services, Wuse, Abuja.”

… as rights group flays FG over lost of lives
By Innocent Anaba
A civil society group,Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has critici-sed the Federal Govern-ment for failing to exercise due diligence to prevent the continuing violence and loss of lives in some parts of the country.

The group argued that “this failure constitutes a serious breach of the government’s internatio-nal obligations to protect and ensure protection of the citizens’ right to life and the security of human person.”

Executive Director of SERAP, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, in a statement, yesterday, said: “We are seriously concerned that tens of thousands have been killed in continuing ethno-religious violence in Jos, Plateau State; Madalla, Niger State and other parts of the country, and property destroyed.

“The government is required, under human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which it is a state party, to keep its citizens safe from the threat of communal violence to sectarian violence.

“It is the duty of the government to protect human life against unwarranted actions by public authorities as well as by private persons. The right to security includes how the government protects the physical integrity of its citizens from abuse by other citizens.

“We are concerned that the constant and widespread killings and lack of security in the country constitute a gross violation of human rights and may amount to crimes against humanity.

“In failing to provide adequate security for the citizens and to prevent, investigate and punish perpetrators of these attacks, the Nigerian authorities are failing in their duty under the constitution and international human rights law and standards to exercise due diligence to respect, protect, and fulfill the victims’ right to life and security of person.”

Mumuni added: “We, therefore, urge President Goodluck Jonathan to demonstrate greater level of leadership and authority to ensure that his government is able to discharge the basic obligation to protect the right to life and security of the person and the right to property throughout the country.

“President Jonathan must urgently put in place effective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace, stability and realisation of citizens’ sacred human rights.

“The right to life is the supreme right of the human beings. It is basic to all human rights and without it all other rights are without meaning.”