Amnesty reports on Army mischievous, spurious allegations – Group

A group, Professionals for Better Nigeria (PBN) has condemned the recent reports released by the Amnesty International (AI) on the operations of the Nigerian Army describing it as false, mischievous and malicious allegations made to undermine the efforts and sacrifices that have been made by the Nigerian Army to rid the country of criminal elements and terrorists in the country.

The group said that the Nigerian Army are carrying out their responsibilities in line with its assigned constitutional role of the protection and safeguard of the territorial integrity of the country and the protection of lives and property.
PBN National Coordinator, Diokpa Obi Iwanka and Comrade Chimeze Oyiuke

Publicity Secretary in a statement on Tuesday, said the reports by Amnesty International against the Nigerian Army “is a systematic ploy and agenda orchestrated in order to change the narrative against the Nigerian Army and win the support of its citizens in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents.”

According to PBN, as champions of transparency, accountability and good governance in Public Service and the total wellbeing of Nigerians for the development of the country, the reports from Amnesty International is not only biased but unpatriotic and a smear campaign of calumny against our hard fighting and patriotic Nigerian military, whose only crime is not allowing the Boko Haram insurgents to override the territory and occupy the Nigerian state.
The statement read: “It is on record that whenever the insurgents have an upper hand, the AI says nothing, but when the Nigerian Army is having its way on ravaging and decimating the terrorists, AI comes into the foray, to bash and accuse the Nigerian Army of crimes against humanity. It is obvious that AI has continued to undermine the sovereignty of Nigeria by leading a psychological war on terror against the people of Nigeria while the insurgents are on the battle front to capture the territories.

The recently orchestrated reports on the Nigerian Army is not only malicious, mischievous and a fallacy but a wicked lie from the pit of hell, cooked up allegedly by AI to paint the Nigerian Army as rapists at the camps of Internally Displaced persons (IDPs).The continued attacks by AI and its cohorts have lend credence to the belief in the public domain that AI have fallen short of its mandate by championing the course of terrorists, defending criminals, and criminalities across the country.

The deliberate blackmail, witch-hunt is unfortunate and mischievously carried out by AI against the Nigerian Army since 2011. The said report is not only spurious, wicked and mischievous but a fabricated fallacy by a frustrated human rights body in its deliberate plans to change the positive and proactive narrative of the Nigerian Army and portray it in bad light by undermining its constitutional responsibilities in favour of the Boko Haram insurgents, for its own personal agenda and self-serving.”

The noted that the orchestrated smear campaign against the Nigerian Army in the media “by AI and mischief makers are intended to drag the Nigerian military into odium and public ridicule and also put it in a negative public perception.”
“Our worries stem from the fact that these narrative from AI donning the garb of human rights watch is calculated to tarnish the hard fought war by the Nigerian Army including the loss of lives by our officers and men infavour of the Boko-Haram insurgents, because overtime, the reports have favored the terrorists rather than the Nigerian military.”
PBN therefore, urged Nigerians to be vigilant and not to be hoodwinked by these reports from AI as “they are not patriotic and do not have the interest of the nation at heart.
The group said that the reports are biased and lopsided and called on Nigerians to jettisoned such claims and give full support and cooperation to the military.

We salute the Nigerian Army gallantry, patriotism, new sense of urgency, transparency, rules of engagement and the direction in the fight against the insurgency and criminalities across the country.

“The enormous improvement in military equipment, fire power and the overall capabilities displayed in military operations is a welcome development supported by all Nigerians.
“As an advocacy organ, we condemn in strong terms, the intemperate castigation, malicious reports deliberated orchestrated to smear the hard earned reputation of the Nigerian Army across the globe for its sterling antecedence over the years.

“We therefore, ask Nigerians to discountenance the reports; disregard the innuendos by AI to draw the ire of the Nigerian people against the military and therefore demand AI to desist forthwith the blackmail, intrigues, misinformation, intimidation and orchestrated propaganda against the Nigerian military that has been the toast of the world in peace keeping operations across Africa,” the statement added.
The PBN also expressed worried that AI sees nothing good in Nigeria’s military despite her superlative records on human rights protection.

They further noted that such “spurious fabrication by the Amnesty International aimed at tarnishing the image of the military goes on unabated for years now, including the lopsidedness in Amnesty’s portrayal of Nigeria, its constant meddling in our local politics, tacit support for terrorists and other belligerent groups causing disorder in the country.
The group further called on AI to stop condemning and giving negative and false reports on the activities of the military in the discharge of its constitutional assigned responsibilities within the rules of engagements and internationally acceptable best practices.
“It is commendable and noteworthy that the Nigerian military is presently rehabilitating the IDPs to their towns and villages,” PBN stated