The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, has forwarded a memo to the National Human Rights Commission, directing the agency to investigate allegations of rights abuse contained in the letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan.
The memo, with reference number HAGF/NHRC2013/Vol2/5, was dated December 23, 2013, and addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Bem Angwe.
The AGF specifically asked the NHRC to investigate allegations relating to human rights violations, which are contained in pages nine and 10 of Obasanjo’s letter.
Part of the memo, with the caption, ‘Re: Before It Is Too Late,’ read, “May I draw your attention to the above and the attached State House Memorandum dated December 23rd 2013 in respect of the above subject matter.
“I am to request you to investigate the allegations bordering on the human rights violations contained on pages 9-10 of the latter dated 2nd December 2013, written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, attached to the memorandum under reference.
“In order to properly delineate the issues within your sphere of competence particularly as other issues raised in the letter are being investigated by appropriate agencies of government, I have decided to reproduce the relevant paragraphs below.
The relevant paragraphs in Obasanjo’s letter, which were reproduced in the memo, read, “Allegations of keeping over 1000 people on political watch list rather than criminal or security watch list and training snippets and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for purposes like Abacha and training them where Abacha trained his own killers, if it is true, it cannot augur well for the initiator, the government and people of Nigeria. Here again, there is lesson of his to learn from anybody who cares to learn from history. Mr. President would always remember that he was elected to maintain security for all Nigerians, not for personal or political ambition or interest of anyone. The Yoruba race adage says” the man on whose head coconut is broken may not live to savour the taste of the succulent fruit”. Those who advise you to go hard on those who oppose you are your worst enemies. Democratic politics admits and is permissible of supporters and opponents. When the consequences come, those who have wrongly advised you will not be there to help carry the can. Egypt must teach some lessons.”
“Presidential assistance for a murderer to evade justice and presidential delegation to welcome him home can only be in bad taste generally but particularly to the family of the victim. Assisting criminals to evade justice cannot be part of the job of the presidency. Or, as it is viewed in some quarters, is he being recruited to do for you what he had done for Abacha in the past? Hopefully, he should have learnt his lesson. Let us continue to watch.”
The memo from the AGF to the NHRC followed Jonathan’s explanation in his response to Obasanjo that he would direct the security agencies and the Commission to investigate the former president’s letter and make their findings public.
Source: Punch
