By TINA TIMOTHY

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria have called for ‘prompt, impartial and exhaustive investigation’ into the armed attack on the Lagos home of the Chairman, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Mr Olarenwaju Suraju, which took place on March 28, 2022 by unknown armed men.

In a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), dated April 4, 2022 and signed by representatives of 48 key human rights and civil society organisations in Nigeria, the CSOs described the attack as ‘dastardly and condemnable’ and thereby called for prompt investigation so that the perpetrators would be fished out and brought to book.

The petition reads in part: “We, the undersigned representatives of key human rights and civil society organisations in Nigeria, received with utter shock and serious concern, news of the dastardly and condemnable attack on the Lagos home of Mr. Olanrenwaju Suraju, Executive Director, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) in the early hours of Monday, March 28, 2022 by unknown armed men who broke into his residence, tied him and his wife up and subjected them to brutal and humiliating treatment in the presence of their children.

The CSOs, while expressing the obvious trauma the family must have passed through as a result of the attack, alleged that the attack was politically motivated since “out of the estate's over 200 houses, only Suraju's house was broken into by the attackers.

“We are informed that about five armed men broke into Suraju's home on the said day and subjected him and his wife to verbal threats and severe beatings.

“The attackers also took away valuables such as phones, laptops, and a car.

“This attack and the dispossession of the Surajus of sensitive personal items have left the family traumatized and exposed them to further risks of the likelihood of invasion and illegal access to their private data, including bank information.

“It is apparent that this attack was targeted and political, as, out of the estate’s over 200 houses, only Suraju's house was broken into by the attackers. They also made comments that gave them away as agents acting on behalf and at the behest of a politically exposed person or persons who had occupied public offices in Nigeria whom Suraju's and HEDA's anti-corruption campaigns have affected unfavorably or not gone down well with.

“We also note that this attack is coming on the heels of the ongoing apparently malicious prosecution and harassment of Mr. Suraju for opening the can of worms on the Malabu deal, which named former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, as a beneficiary.

“This attack highlights the level of threats that anti-corruption activists face, as well as the extent to which desperate public officials accused of corruption and being called to account could go to silence those who muster the courage to demand accountability in the use of public resources.

“The invasion of the home of Suraju and attack on his family members is criminal and forebodes great danger to the safety of law-abiding and patriotic citizens who engage in legitimate campaigns for integrity and accountability in the management of public resources

“If this grievous crime is not investigated and the perpetrators fished out and brought to account, the anti-corruption mantra of the Buhari-led government will end up as sheer hypocrisy and individuals and organizations genuinely committed to assisting the government's touted commitment to fighting corruption will be discouraged and corruption will finally kill the country.”

“We call on the Inspector General of Police to order a prompt, impartial and exhaustive investigation with a view to identifying the criminal invaders and bringing them to account.

We call for adequate compensation to the Surajus for the violation of their rights to privacy, human dignity and to own property, among others.

“We also call on the IGP to guarantee the physical safety and psychological integrity of members of the Suraju family as well as members of staff of HEDA.

“Please accept the assurances of our highest esteem as we look forward to your urgent attention to this petition”, the petition concluded.

The organization which signed the petition include: Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Lagos; Centre for Citizens' Rights Lafia, Nasarawa State; Grassroots Development Monitoring and Advocacy Centre; Onyigbuo Stephen Uche, Private Citizen, Enugu State; COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peacebuilding – Akwa Ibom State; Initiative for Social Development in Africa (iSODAF); Initiative for Gender Equality and Advancement, Edo State; Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) – Lagos; Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, Lokoja, Kogi State; Bauchi human Rights Network.

Others are: IPSSED Network Nsukka, Enugu State; Vision Spring Initiatives; Public Enlightenment Projects PEP, Abia State; Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women, Kaduna State; African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention, Lagos; Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Abia State Branch; Smiles Africa International Youth Development Initiative SAIYDI Benin City, Edo State; Nde Oduko Foundation, Abuja; Parent-Child Intervention Centre (PCIC), Enugu; Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD) Nigeria;

Also Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Abuja; Koyenum Immalah Foundation, Asaba, Delta State; Institutional and Sustainable Development Foundation; Josemaria Escriva Foundation, Edo State; Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence (CAIDOV); Public Enlightenment Projects (PEP) Abia State; People's Against Corruption and Injustice (PACI) Ogun State; Human Right Advocacy & Monitoring Group (HURAMG); Sterling Law Centre, Abuja; Partners West Africa-Nigeria singed the petition.

The rest are: Anthony Opara, The Difference Newspaper; Legal Resources Consortium, Lagos; Justice for Peace and Development Initiative (JPDI) Lagos; Legal Defence and Assistance Project-LEDAP; Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI), Abia State; Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA); Grassroots Democracy Network (GDN), Lagos State; Eyeeoma Development Initiative (EDI), Abia State; Women Environment and Youth Development Initiative-WOYODEV; Young innovators and Vocational training initiative Kaduna; Next Generation Youth Initiative International (NeGYII), Makurdi, Benue State; Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development; PLAYYA Nigeria; Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative, Kwara State; Habitatcare and Protection Initiative, Owerri Imo state; Saka Azimazi, private citizen; Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation (HURSDEF); and Ace and Vanguard, Lagos).

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