The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has expressed shock over what it described as “unrefined and Yorean utterances of President Muhammadu Buhari concerning sensitive national issues particularly the collective security of Nigeria and its Peoples.

The group noted in a statement issued on Friday that the President has since his swearing in on 29^th of May, 2015 governed Nigeria like “an animal kingdom where few with political might, power and authority perpetually enslave the remaining majority with reckless abandon. The Presidency of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has continuously seen Nigeria and treated same as a jungle governed by no laws except personal whimsical and capricious might and initiatives. Nigeria under Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidency is akin to herders versus cows; where cows’ survival and welfare is dependent on their herders.”

The statement, issued Friday in Onitsha, was signed Intersociety Board Chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Programme, Barr Obianuju Igboeli; and Head, Democracy & Good Governance Programme, Barr Chinwe Umeche.

According to the society, “the most provocative and crudest of it all is President Muhammadu Buhari’s constant and crude reference to civil war years in Nigeria where he, in conspiracy with others, had the violent and hate opportunity to supervise genocidal massacre and starvation of hundreds of thousands of Nigerians of Old Eastern Region extraction or over 1.3 million of them between May 1967 and January 1970; hiding under the canopy of civil war.

“The President must be reminded that while there are restricted and tolerable excuses to kill citizens particularly the combatants during internal or international armed conflicts under the Geneva Conventions of the 1949 and other humanitarian treaties; there are no excuses or defense whatsoever to kill innocent, unarmed and nonviolent citizens in peacetime for exercising democratic free speeches and rights to nonviolent assemblies. It must be stated too, that to save the life of one innocent soul, lives of ten soldiers or security officers can be excusably lost. It is therefore far much abominable to kill in peacetime than to kill in wartime.”

“By making such painful and violent public statement,” the society said, “President Muhammadu Buhari not only celebrates and justifies his ignoble roles in butchering and starving his fellow Nigerians and human beings to death; but also exposes his unrepentant hatred of the Peoples of the Southeast and the South-south regions of Nigeria. By his violent presidential statement, too, he is mocking the peoples of the two regions in literal reference of them as spineless men, capable of being perpetually enslaved by Hausa-Fulani violent oligarchy.

“We are totally disappointed at the character, personality and integrity of the President who ought to be the father of the country and its Peoples. Though it appears that President Muhammadu Buhari is not in touch with present social, political and legal realities nationally, regionally and internationally, warranting his gross ignorance and unrefined utterances under reference; having failed to upgrade since 1985. But it is not enough excuse for him to engage in such brazen and provocative hate and genocidal speech. Such speech is unbecoming of the electoral President of the Federation of Nigeria.

“Another shocking dimension is the gross failure of the President to distinguish between policies and conducts including security policies and conducts guiding peacetime and wartime. Equating peacetime genocidal massacres with acts perpetrated during wartime, is another national embarrassment and emergency requiring urgent intervention by key advisers and aides of the President. The Buhari’s Presidency is in dire need of tutorials on issues of modern constitutionalism, multi-ethnic secularity, political pluralism and tolerance, rule of law, citizens’ security and welfare, human rights and civil liberties, regional and international obligations, promotion and advancement of regional and international peace and security, consensus/citizens’ sovereignty, modern international criminal and humanitarian law practices and the principles and purposes of the United Nations.”

Intersociety also chronicled its grievances, pointing out that “Just the other day, the Nigerian Army, following its genocidal massacre on 30^th of May 2016 of as much as 140 (updated figures) unarmed and nonviolent Nigerian citizens of Southeast and South-south extractions in Onitsha, Nkpor and Asaba within six hours; issued a statement, falsely claiming that it acted within the ambits of rules of engagement, self defense and use of force.

“In its December 12^th and 13^th 2015 massacre of over 700 Shiite Muslim faithful in Zaria during their nonviolent rallies at a certain public arena, the Nigerian Army made the same false claims. The false claims of the Nigerian Army under reference were built on its November 2015 corrupted and bastardized rules of engagement, which it violently and unconstitutionally adopted in response to peaceful and nonviolent assemblies organized by aggrieved Nigerians of Southeast and South-south extractions against unaddressed structural and personal violent attacks directed at them for decades by the State.”

Update news