By Innocent Anaba
LAGOS—A group of 33 Nigerian human rights and humanitarian organisations has expressed concern over the incessant attacks and criticisms of human rights and humanitarian organisations by the Nigerian Government and its security agencies, in particular, the Nigerian military and security services.

The groups in a statement, yesterday, noted that “The latest of such attacks has been the announcement of the ban of UNICEF, later rescinded and the call to close the Nigerian Office of Amnesty Int’l, which has become a regular object of attack by the Nigerian military and security services for doing its work of exposing human rights violations.

“We totally condemn threats and intimidation of UNICEF and Amnesty Int’l by the Nigerian military and security services, especially as even the Presidency has joined in the fray. That these threats are always issued against Amnesty Int’l whenever it issues a report detailing credible allegations of human rights violations in Nigeria shows that the attacks are aimed at gagging the organisation, undermining credible human rights reporting and covering up systemic violations of human rights.”

The groups are Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD),  Centre  for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT),  Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC),  Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL),  Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC),  Partners for West Africa,  Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD),  Socio-Economic Right and Accountability Project (SERAP), Zero-Corruption Coalition (ZCC) and Accountability Maternal New-born and Child Health in Nigeria (AMHiN).

Others are Partners on Electoral Reform, State of the Union (SOTU),  African Centre for Media and Information Literacy, National Procurement Watch Platform, Say NO Campaign—Nigeria, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civil Education (CHRICED), Social Action, International Press Centre, WANGONET, Community Action for Popular Participation, Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP) and Global Rights.

Among the groups are Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE), Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA), Tax Justice Nigeria, Practice section on public interest and Development Law, Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Women in Nigeria, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development, (Centre LSD) and CLEEN Foundation.

https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2018/12/declaration-of-human-rights-at-70-its-not-yet-uhuru-for-nigerians-say-activists-groups/

According to them, “What is curious is that all the threats and accusations against Amnesty Int’l by the Nigerian military and security services have consistently failed to present any empirical evidence that contradicts the reports issued.”