Description

An eye witness account, presented by
the Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-Africa).
The Army reportedly invaded Oporoza
community on Saturday May 28th, 2016.
This is
the second time within 14 days that the Army
has laid seize to the once peaceful community
along the Escravos river. Although the reason
for the invasion is not fully clear at the time of reporting, our contact in the community says it may be connected to the search for alleged
members of the Niger Delta Avengers who
earlier issued an ultimatum to oil companies to
evacuate the region.

According to our contact in the community,
who was answering from a hide-out in the
forest, “close to a hundred soldiers from the
Joint Task Force (JTF) invaded the community in
gunboats at about 12:00 midnight” and held
their position until about 6am, when they
started shooting sporadically. They asked
women, children and the elderly to sit on the
bare ground, while youths were beaten up in
sight and asked to reveal the identity and
where-about of the Niger Delta Avengers. The
soldiers also threatened to shoot the youth if
they did not admit that they are members of
the newfound militant group. Youth claiming to
be innocent and not knowing the location of the
militants were tied on hands and legs and
beaten, while those attempting to run were
shot at. As of 9am, when we made the first
contact, the soldiers were still shooting
indiscriminately.

A number of innocent community youths have
been arrested and taken away by the military to
an unknown destination. One of our contacts
expressed worry about how he could reach his
wife and two children, including a six weeks old baby, who were still trapped in the forest. At
11.35am, another contact was able to rescue
his wife from the forest, from where they
trekked to a neighbouring community and
made their way to Warri. Hundreds of families,
including women, heads of households and
single mothers, have been displaced as the
community turned into a ghost-town. At about
7pm, another of our contacts was still in the
bush, where tree shades have become shelters
for hundreds of displaced people.

According to our contact, soldiers were still shooting indiscriminately in the community at this time, and a lot of young men have been arrested and taken away by the military to an unknown destination. Others were made to ‘frog jump’, with their arms tied to their backs.
People at risk are mostly children, the elderly
and women, especially nursing mothers.
Citizens’ rust in the Nigerian Amy, which razed down the same community in 2009, will likely suffer due to the highhandedness with which the military operation is being carried out in complete disregard of various human rights instruments and conventions and international rules of engagement as provided for by both local and international humanitarian instruments, including the Geneva Conventions.

The military has not made conscious efforts to
separate possible combatants from noncombatants
and tried to obtain intelligence
under duress, subjecting innocent civilians to
torture and all forms of dehumanising and
degrading conditions.

The impact could result in life-threatening
situations, damaged properties and interruption
of businesses and livelihood activities due to
displacement. It could further impoverish an
already marginalised population.

The current military seize and molestation of
innocent citizens under the cover of fighting
criminality undermines justice and the
presumption of innocence, as the military is
already exercising judicial powers.

This current approach could further escalate and destabilise the region. Even if the military is increasingly involved in curbing crime and in protecting national assets, it must not undermine citizens’ rights, even if they stand accused of criminal activities. The fight against criminality should not provide a canopy and justification for arbitrary arrests, restriction of freedoms and dehumanisation of citizens.

We therefore call on the President and Commander of the Armed Forces of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, the National Human Rights
Commission, Civil Society Organisations, and
other international bodies to urge the military
high command to prevent possible, further
human rights violations in Oporoza and to stop
the destabilisation of the region at large. We
also call on the government to start an
independent investigation of the military
operation in Oporoza and the alleged human
rights violations to reassure citizens of
government commitment towards the
protection of lives and property in the region.