A coalition of civil society organisations, Nigerian Indigenous National Alliance for Self-determination (NINAS), has called on the United States, Britain and the European Union to impose heavy sanctions on Nigerian government for ‘undermining democracy and abuse of human rights’ and halt any arms sale.

The group alleged that previous arms sold to the Federal Government with borrowed funds have found their way into the hands of killer herdsmen, bandits, Boko Haram terrorists, ISIS fighters and other criminals terrorising the South and Middle Belt region.

In a statement by the communications manager of NINAS, Maxwell Adeleye, the organisation which comprises Ilana Omo Oodua, representing the South West, Lower Niger Congress, representing the South South and South East and the Middle Belt Forum, representing some of the states in the North, accused the Federal Government of abuse of human rights, saying opposition voices are now being arrested and caged behind the bar for demanding good governance.

According to the statement, the signatories who wrote the petition to the US, UK and and EU include Banji Akintoye, former president general of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo; Yusuf Turaki, Secretary General of NINAS, Tony Nnadi and pioneer commissioner for Education in Osun State and National Chairman of Ilana Omo Oodua, Wale Adeniran.

“We, the people of the South and Middle Belt under the aegis of NINAS, call on you to sanction the government of Nigeria for undermining democratic ethics and abusing people’s rights to live; to own property; to liberty; to dignity; to peaceful assembly and to self-determination.

“The arms being sold to the Nigerian Government with funds borrowed from your territory are now being used to kill, oppress, harass, intimidate and strangulate harmless protesters and defenceless people of the South and Middle Belt of Nigeria who are exercising their rights to self-determination and peaceful assembly.

“Boko Haram terrorists, Fulani herdsmen, and bandits are now maiming, harassing, and killing our people on the roads and in their farmlands with same arms and ammunitions bought from your countries with impunity.

“Today, peaceful protest is an aberration in Nigeria. Opposition voices are now being arrested and caged behind the bar for demanding good governance and their inalienable rights to self-determination.

“Freedom of speech is now an essential commodity in Nigeria. The leadership of Nigeria is now censoring the media to prevent free speech to alert the world to the ongoing genocide. Social media is now under threat in Nigeria.

“We appeal to you, in the interest of peace-loving people of the South and Middle Belt of Nigeria to halt further sale of arms to the Nigerian Government until the country surrenders the sovereignty of the people back to them.

“For the record, our cardinal demand as a group is for the Nigerian Government to function as the transitional government while a United Nations supervised referendum is organised so the people can exercise their self-determination right.

“We demand unconditional abolition of 1999 Constitution of Nigeria which we have shown to be a fraud perpetrated against the people of the South and Middle Belt of Nigeria given that the people did not make it,” they said in the statement.

Sun