November 30, 2014 – Access to Justice and eight Civil Societies, namely One Voice Coalition for Sustainable Development (One VOICE), Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre(WARDC), Human Rights Law Services(HURILAWS), Social Economic Rights Accountability Project(SERAP), Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria(NOPRIN)Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association(NATA), Centre for Constitutional Governance(CCG) Centre for Constitutionality and Demilitarization(CENOD) have filed a suit at the Federal High Court Abuja against President Goodluck Jonathan and Attorney General of the Federation.
Civil Societies Seek Court Order to Compel Jonathan to Probe Allegation of Unlawful Killing by JTF
The complainants are seeking an order mandamus, to compel the defendants to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation on allegations of extra-judicial killings and war crimes made by Amnesty International (AI)on August 5, 2014.
AI’s report, accompanied with video footage depicts horrendous acts and extra-judicial killings and war crimes against suspected members of the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram by members of the Nigerian Military and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
The video clip shows horrific image of detainees having their throat slit one after the other and their bodies dumped into mass grave by men in military uniform whom AI suspect to be members of the Nigerian Military and CJTF.
The video also shows 16 young men and boys all seated in line. “One by one, they are called forward and ordered to lie down in front a pit, that served as grave.
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Five of them were reportedly killed this way”, AI said in the report.
The civil societies say they filed the report following refusal by Federal Government to demonstrate that it has acceded to the request to carry out a thorough investigation into the killing.
The matter comes up before Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja December 2, 2014.
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