12/10/2018 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Amnesty International(AI) has released yet another report on the major corruption and ineptitude of the Nigerian government. The report focuses on the complete and utter failures of the Buhari administration to deal with the continuing crisis in Northeastern Nigeria created by Boko Haram activity. In the report, AI cites a report given by the International Criminal Court in which they say that everything the government seems to be doing is only superficial in nature and is meant to give the impression of effort without any real work.
Though the reports only focus on the Boko Haram insurgency, many of the same ideas and problems can be seen in the Fulani militant crisis in the Middle Belt of Nigeria as well. There has been even less of an attempt to stop the Middle Belt conflict than the Boko haram insurgency. This is despite the fact that in 2018, the Fulani militant activities have accounted for at least three times as many deaths as that of Boko Haram.
In both crises, legal proceedings have been ridiculously poor attempts to show that the government is taking actions against those who have committed or supported crimes. In neither case has there been any real movement towards peace. And as the country prepares for elections in early 2019, there is a very likely chance of increased violence due to political and religious differences between the Christian Southern and Muslim Northern communities. It is far past time that the administration admits to its major failures and stops trying to say that it has made great leaps forward during this presidency. This blatant and obvious lie shows both a lack of respect for the people of Nigeria, and a lack of common sense.
For interviews with Nathan Johnson, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org
