By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called on Nigeria government to desist from exposing the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi; his running mate, Ahmed Datti, and other democracy activists to dangers of security agencies’ harassments, Jihadists’ assassination plots and cyber criminals’ attacks.

Handing down the warning in a statement signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman at Intersociety, Ositadinma Agu, Head, Contacts and Mobilization Department and Ndidiamaka Chinaza Bernard Esq, Head, International Justice and Human Rights, Intersociety said that the scenario since election has transcended from brutal in-house rigging to political persecution.

The group maintained that the false treason alarm raised by Nigeria Government in far away United States of America was nothing short of directly exposing the presumed winner of the 25th Feb 2023 Presidential election in Nigeria, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi; his Deputy, Mr. Datti Ahmed and their key supporters; and the presumed runner-up in the Poll, Mr. Atiku Abubakar, and other key democracy activists to security agencies’ harassments

The group also cited attacks or threats to their privacies and properties and their fundamental human rights to life, dignity of human person and personal liberty such as unlawful arrest and detention without trial as part of the issues they may face.

The statement which was made available to News Express on Wednesday added: "The outgoing Nigerian government has also indirectly exposed Mr. Peter Obi to Jihadists’ assassination or plots in order to get him out of the way and deepen State Jihadism in Nigeria or any part thereof.

“Dangers further abound indicating that the above named political actors and democracy activists and institutions have been made vulnerable to attacks by cybercriminals, including dangerous software viruses and shutting down of their websites.”

Harping on the issue of “Constitutional Liberties In Gross Breach,” Intersociety said: "The above highlighted clearly and gravely run contrary to the Fundamental Human Rights constitutionally provided to secure and protect the affected political actors and democracy activists: Lives (Section 33), Personal Liberties (Section 35), Fair Hearing (Section 36), Privacy (Section 37), Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion (Section 38), Freedom of Expression (Section 39), Freedom of Assembly and Association (Section 40), Freedom of Movement and Right to Residency (Section 42) and Freedom from Discrimination (Section 42).

“These, in addition to citizens’ rights to political participation, including rights to vote or be voted for, are also provided in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights of 1981, signed, ratified and domesticated by Nigeria in 1983

“False treason alarm has raised serious citizens’ security and safety concerns.”

While saying that the Minister for Information, Lai Mohammed, exposed INEC, APC and Federal government of Nigeria (FGN) in USA as three fingers of a leprous hand, the group said: “A sound logical and critical judgmental look at what he (Lai Mohammed) said to the World Press clearly indicates that the outgoing Information Minister traveled to USA that cost Nigeria and Nigerians billions of taxpayers’ public funds to inform them how the federal government of Nigeria coordinated the armada of fraud called “the Feb 25, 2023 Presidential Poll.”

“Minister Lai Mohammed also did not know that he ended up informing the US and World Press that “the outgoing Federal Government of Nigeria is leprously functioning as Nigeria’s INEC, Federal Government and APC.” In other words, the Federal Government of Nigeria as ‘Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), coordinated the rigging, awarded the victory to its APC and traveled to USA to inform them how it successfully rigged the poll.”

"The APC arm of the outgoing Nigerian Government also publicly held brief for the Chief Justice of Nigeria with intent to stampede the Judiciary under him to judicially legitimize the rigging-with results awarded to its illegitimate beneficiaries. The above was evidential in a recent public defense of the CJN by the APC over his alleged affinity with Tinubu and its potential harm to the pending 2023 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).

“By the totality of the above, therefore, Nigeria’s Minister, Lai Mohammed, ended up in USA exposing INEC, APC and Federal Government of Nigeria as “three fingers of a leprous hand.”

Giving a descriptive illustration of how Obi, others may be harmed or attacked, Intersociety said:

“‘By security agencies’ harassments,’ they include harassments and arrests by security agencies via false security alarms, criminal labeling, ethnic and religious profiling and concoction of trumped up charges or accusations bordering on high treasons or “crimes against the State” (.i.e. treason and treasonable felonies such as insurrection and terrorism) with intents to clamp into detention without trial using ‘prosecutorial or pre-prosecutorial vindictiveness.”

By jihadists’ assassination or plots,’ they include resorting to ‘perfect killings’ or assassination plots, using Islamic jihadists. Their sole target victim (Peter Obi) may be targeted for assassination (perfect killing), using car bombing, helicopter/air crash and toxic substances; or open assassination through movement ambush, gunfire and other open assassination methods.

“This is the second time Intersociety is raising this security threat alarm, having first raised it about eleven months ago in 2022. ‘By cybercriminals’ attacks, they include tapping telephone conversations and attacking websites of leading and consistent democracy activists and institutions.

“Cybercriminals’ attacks may also include lethal attacks on Peter Obi, Datti Ahmed, Atiku Abubakar and consistent democracy activists using harmful chemical or biological substances as well as directing deadly cyber virus attacks on their websites, phones, computers and other communications equipments or gadgets. Nothing Must Happen To Obi, Datti, Atiku, Others.

“The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) hereby strongly warns the outgoing Federal Government of Nigeria and the country’s security agencies that nothing untoward must happen to the presumed winners of the 2023 Presidential Poll, Mr. Peter Obi and his Deputy, Mr. Datti Ahmed and the Poll’s runner-up, Mr. Atiku Abubakar, and other democracy defenders or activists.

“The Nigerian security agencies and their commanders must refrain from being used by the outgoing Buhari/Osinbajo government of Nigeria to falsely or criminally label and molest defenseless Nigerians including the named political actors and democracy activists.

“They must refocus their attention on their stewardship and public accountability over their deeds and misdeeds in the past eight years.”

“Nigerians had expected the Nigerian Minister of Information to be busy with coordination of the inter-ministerial, parastatals and departments’ handover accountability, especially since 29th May 2023 is much around the corner.

“Therefore, Peter Obi, Datti Ahmed and Atiku Abubakar must be protected at all times by the security operatives to enable them attend to and conclude their cases before the PEPT. Nigeria must avoid going up in unquenchable flames,” Intersociety warned.

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