THE
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is holding a public hearing on
the controversial killing of suspected Boko Haram members in Apo, Abuja,
on Tuesday January 7 and likely to announce modalities for conducting
its planned probe into the allegation by former president, Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo, against President Goodluck Jonathan same day.Obasanjo, in a letter, had accused President Jonathan of training snippers to haunt about 1,000 Nigerians the presidency allegedly put on a watch list.
The council of the commission, headed by Professor Chidi Odinkalu, is the judicial arm of the commission which serves as a quasi-tribunal during public hearings.
It was learnt that the administrative arm, headed by the Executive Secretary, Professor Bem Angwe, had not chosen any of the two options open to the commission in conducting the probe.
The commission can summon parties mentioned in the matter for face-to-face interrogation or meet them separately.
It can also visit them individually for their testimonies, provided such would not jeopardise the independence of the investigation and the credibility of the process.
It was learnt top-shots of the commission were more disposed to separate visits to the two leaders involved in the investigation, due to their social standing and political status.
The sensitivity of the allegation, it was gathered, made the said option more attractive to those who would make the final decision on whether to summon the duo for an open deliberation.
Those concerned about the credibility of the commission were said to be rooting for open invite for the two leaders, given the publicity that the issues had generated.
A presidency source revealed that Jonathan might be more disposed to the investigation and testimony being conducted in the open, due to the weight of the allegation and the status of the person alleging the president.
It was learnt that consultations were on, to arrive at a conclusion before the public hearing next Tuesday.
By the amendment of the NHRC Act 2010, the commission can issue bench warrants on those who fail to honour its summons.
Its pronouncements also now have the same effect as judgments of the High Court.
The planned public hearing, which is the third in the series on the Apo killing, according to a system source, would also see the Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), Ekpeyong Ita, testify openly.
At the last public hearing, he requested to testify in camera, which was rejected by the council.
It was learnt that the council chairman had succeeded in persuading Ita to have his testimony in public like that of the Chief of Army Staff.
Ita’s testimony is expected to take the centre stage of proceedings at the public hearing, while the announcement on the Obasanjo, Jonathan probe is expected to come before the commencement of the proceedings or immediately after it.
Human Rights Watch faults criticism of report on Apo
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has insisted that its report on the cause of violence in Plateau and Kaduna states were based on facts.
The organisation, in its reply to comments credited to Odinkalu, who had picked holes in the report, on Thursday, faulted the report for describing the major cause of the violence as being sectarian in nature.
The HRW’s report catalogued incidents in Kaduna and Plateau states since 2010, in which over 3,000 people died.
Through its African Director, Mr Daniel Bekele, in a letter to the Editor, HRW said it was untrue that its report explained the violence in the two states solely in sectarian terms.
The letter read in part: “Human Right Watch agrees with Dr Chidi Odinkalu that the conflicts in Kaduna and Plateau states cannot be explained merely in sectarian terms (Odinkalku faults HRW’s report on violence in Nigeria, 23 December 2013).
“Our report clearly states that the underlying causes of the conflict are varied and often entail longstanding grievances and disputes, including divisive state and local government policies that discriminate based on indigene status.
“Dr Odinkalu’s accusation that Human Rights Watch proceeded with a fixed viewpoint is simply not true. The findings upon which our report is based are borne out of facts and events documented by our researchers on the ground.”
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