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‘We’ll publish original Oputa report’
sakibu olokojobi
Assistant Editor, Politics
Vexed by the decision of the Federal Government to withhold the report of
the Human Rights Violation and Investigation Commission (HRVIC), otherwise
referred to as Oputa panel, about three years after it wound up, a pro-democracy
group, which worked with the government to design and set up the commission,
Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), has threatened to release the full
report to the public.
The Minister of
Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (SAN),
had in a press interview penultimate week declared that the Federal Government
would not release the report of the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa-led panel, saying
the decision was in compliance with the judgement of the Supreme Court which
ruled that the panel was unconstitutional.
But speaking in an
interview with our correspondent, the Director of the CDD, Dr. Kayode Fayemi,
said it was painful that over three years after the commission finished its
work, the report had not been made public.
Stressing that the
members of the public, especially, in Nigeria had the right to know the outcome
of the probe into the cases of human rights violation, he warned that his group
would make the report public damning whatever consequence.
His words: “I’m pretty disappointed;
even angry that we don’t have the result of the Oputa panel’s
work. And they did a marvelous job
with all the difficulties at their behest. Seven volumes of report! Extensive recommendations on how to
institutionally correct this cankerworm.
I am disappointed that the recommendations have not seen the light of
day.
“We have
agonised whether it is not worth our while to actually release the report of
the Oputa Commission to the Nigerian public because we have the report. We are
one of the few people who have the official report of the Oputa Commission. And
we may well get to a point of releasing it to the Nigerian public and let the
government, may be, charge us to court for violating official secret act or
whatever offence. At that stage,
we would deal with that. We are hoping that the government will see the need to
stop hiding behind this business of court order by Babangida and his ilks and
release the report of the Oputa commission. I don’t think it will be a
violation of the orders that set up the commission.”
Wondering why
former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, went to court to protest
the summon by the commission for him to appear over a case of human rights
violations, he said Babangida should not have worried over the outcome of the
work of the commission as he did not appear before it.
He, however, said
that he believed that one day, the hand of the law would catch up with all
those who perpetrated evil in the annals of the country.
“I am hopeful
that as I see what is happening in Argentina today, 25 years after they
disappeared, generals, admirals are being called back to account for what they
did years before; as I sit back to watch what is happening in Chile, I believe
those who had perpetrated these monstrosity against Nigerians will be hunted
down even if it is a hundred years from now. Those who inherit their baggage of
atrocities will be hunted down,” Fayemi said.
Set up by the
federal government in June 1999, the Oputa panel was fashioned after the Truth
Commission in South Africa to probe cases of human rights violation in the
country from 1966 to the period the commission was inaugurated.
But following their
summon to testify before the commission, former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami
Abubakar and former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida went to court to
challenge the summon.
The two leaders won their cases, thus nullifying the
invitation by the commission.
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