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April 20, 2022
This comes a few days after footage emerged showing the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho and Chairman of its governing board, Auwal Rafsanjani in a meeting with officers of the Department of State Services (DSS), along with some civil society leaders in Abuja.
Amnesty International Nigeria has moved to gag its former employee, Damian Ugwu from speaking publicly about the rot in the organisation.
This comes a few days after footage emerged showing the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho and Chairman of its governing board, Auwal Rafsanjani in a meeting with officers of the Department of State Services (DSS), along with some civil society leaders in Abuja.
Also, it followed the revelation that one of the organisation’s top management staff members, Isa Sanusi had been in the employ of the former interim Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Yobe State Governor, Yai Mala Buni as the Senior Special Assistant on Media since 2020.
SaharaReporters on Tuesday learnt that the disgraced organisation on April 6 obtained a court injunction from the National Industrial Court, directing its former researcher, Damian Ugwu not to release further information about the unwholesome activities of the organisation in Nigeria.
According to the court documents dated April 6, 2022, obtained by SaharaReporters, Amnesty International Nigeria, through its lawyers, Eucharia Nwankpa and Ikechukwu C. N. Okwor, filed a lawsuit (NICN/ABJ/61/2022) in April seeking an ex parte injunction restraining Damian Ugwu from releasing “confidential information”, whether true or false to the media.
According to the court papers obtained by SaharaReporters, the Registered Trustees of Centre for the Protection of Human Rights and Social Justice of Amnesty International Nigeria; Osai Ojigho, Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria and Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Board Chairman of the organisation, as Ist, 2nd and 3rdDefendants, sought a number of orders from the court against Ugwu, the Respondent.
For instance, they sought “an order of interim injunction restraining the claimant/respondent (Ugwu), whether by himself, his servants, agents, privies or acquaintances from further release of the confidential information concerning the work of the 1st Defendant (Amnesty International Nigeria) and its staff which he is privy to pending the determination of the Motion on Notice”.
The defendants also sought “an order of interim injunction restraining the claimant/ respondent, whether by himself, servants, agents and acquaintances from further release of information concerning the 1st defendant and its staff whether true or false pending the determination of the Motion on Notice”.
Justice O. Y. Anuwe subsequently ordered Mr. Ugwu not to release further information about the organisation until the substantive case is resolved. The case was adjourned till May 23, 2022.
Amnesty International Niger... by Sahara Reporters
In March 2022, award-winning investigative journalist David Hundei and the International Centre For Investigative Reporting (ICIR) released a damning report detailing the organisation’s culture of staff bullying and romance with Nigerian security forces whom the organisation openly criticises.
Mr Ugwu is among the nine former and current staff members quoted in the report.
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Human rights activists described the latest step by Amnesty International Nigeria as a sign that the organisation never believed in what it has been preaching all along.
For instance, an Anambra-based lawyer and activist, Justus Uche Ijeoma, Esq., said, “It is rather unfortunate that Amnesty International Nigeria is engaging in this war of attrition that is further destroying whatever is left of its reputation.
“How can the organisation that has all along preached free press, freedom of expression, transparency and accountability be the one seeking and obtaining orders to restrain people from publishing information ‘whether true or false’ about their activities?
“What are they hiding? Why the contradictions? Why are they posturing as though they are now promoting opaqueness? What has become of Amnesty International Nigeria is really troubling for those of us that have at one point or the other leveraged on the global brand to advance our human rights work.”
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters has obtained several internal documents including emails from other sources showing how a former female employee pleaded for help from the management after complaining about bullying from Osai Ojigho and the organisation’s Finance Manager, Benedicta Ofili.
In the email dated April 29, 2021, the female staff member wrote to her line manager: “Please may I officially request to see a psychologist? I need help. I communicated my concerns to you. Please let me know if this is possible.”
Amnesty International indeed has a history of bullying and staff suicide. In February 2019, a study commissioned by the rights group reported that Amnesty International has a “toxic” working environment, with widespread bullying, public humiliation, discrimination, and other abuses of power. The report came after two staff members – Gaëtan Mootoo, a researcher for West Africa, and Rosalind McGregor, an intern in the International Advocacy Programme in Geneva – died of suicide in 2018.
Responding to the development, the then Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Kumi Naidoo admitted that the organisation was “facing an alarming trust deficit”.
“To hear our employees speak of a culture of secrecy and mistrust where discrimination, bullying, and abuse of power have been condoned is profoundly troubling. Unacceptable management practices, attitudes, and behaviors cannot and will not be tolerated at any level in the organisation,” he had said.
It is not yet clear why the international secretariat of Amnesty International is yet to take action on the unfolding scandal in its Nigerian office.
