The commission expressed alarm over the relocation of Nigerian young brains abroad while blaming the country's poor economy for the incessant kidnappings, banditry, and killings, among other forms of insecurity.
The International Human Rights Commission has urged President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to hold talks with bandits, Yoruba Nation agitators, and the Indigenous People of Biafra in order to restore peace to Nigeria.
Nigeria is confronted by multiple security challenges, notably the resilient Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast, long-running discontent and militancy in the Niger Delta, increasing violence between herders and farming communities, and separatist Biafra agitation in the Southeast.
The commission expressed alarm over the relocation of Nigerian young brains abroad while blaming the country's poor economy for the incessant kidnappings, banditry, and killings, among other forms of insecurity.
Dr. Duru Hezekiah, the Head of Diplomatic Missions for the IHRC in Nigeria and its Ambassador at Large made these remarks to journalists in Abuja on September 21, 2022, the International Peace Day, The Punch reports.
He pleaded with President Buhari’s administration to declare a state of emergency in order to address the threat of youth exodus from the country.
He said, “Racism is everywhere, most especially we Africans and Nigerians. The rate of racism against Africans and Nigerians calls for urgent attention. In fact, there should be a state of emergency.
“A lot of Nigerians are migrating to the West and other parts of the world due to bad economy and insecurity. When our people leave the country to find greener pastures elsewhere, the people in the host countries would start treating us as beggars. Youths are moving because the economy is bad. There is a need for us to come together and develop our country. When those who abroad see an improvement in economy and security, they would surely come back.”
He further noted that violent crimes and discrimination against people based on their colour, nationality, immigrant status, or religion were on the rise everywhere in the world and posed a threat to mankind.
According to him, the government must address other sociological issues like poverty, unemployment, and a lack of appropriate education in order to address the underlying reasons for insecurity in the nation.
He continued: “This platform is an avenue that would enable us to dialogue with the government. We need to understand why people are carrying arms, and it is because the economy is bad. Our youth must drop their guns and come for dialogue.
“We, at the organization, don’t believe in protest or crisis. We believe in negotiations and dialogue. So our youths, whether from the north, east or west, must dialogue to find solutions to the insecurity. Most of the people who do these killings are not educated and have no jobs.
“The insecurity issue in Nigeria is like talking about sickness, we need to get to the root of that sickness. There is a root cause of this banditry. What do they really want? What is their motive? The truth is motives differ. If you come to the South-East, we have the Indigenous People of Biafra and we know what they want, even though what we think they want is beyond what we are seeing now.
“In the South-East, there is no business on Monday but yet people don’t go to work on Monday. That means there is something fundamental that we need to know.
“I believe that my coming on board as Diplomatic Head of IHRC will give us an avenue and ample opportunity to reach out to those carrying guns to see how they can drop their guns. Let us reason together and engage the government. By the time we get it right, our people will come back and invest. With this platform we have today, Nigeria is going to be a better place.”
He also expressed concern over the emigration of Nigerian youths abroad, stating that a state of emergency needs to be declared to tackle the menace.
Earlier in his presentation, the Head of IHRC African Diplomatic Missions, Dr. Friday Sanni, linked the recent attacks on prisons across the country to congestion.
He stressed the need for Nigeria’s justice system to embrace non-custodial measures which include suspended sentences, community service, and fines, among others.