Nigerian Times

10 Nov 2011 10:54 Africa/Lagos Shell must pay US$1 billion in first step to clean up Niger Delta LONDON, November 10, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Shell must commit to pay an initial US$1 billion to begin the clean-up of pollution caused by oil spills in the Niger Delta, Amnesty International and the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) said today. A new report by the two groups released today, The true tragedy: delays and failures in tackling oil spills in the Niger Delta looks at the ongoing devastation caused by two major oil spills which took place at Bodo, Ogoniland, in 2008, and which have never been cleaned up. The UN Environment Programme recently found that oil pollution over many years had resulted in such devastation that it would take more than 25 years for Ogoniland to recover. The UN recommended setting up an Environmental Restoration Fund with an initial amount of US$1 billion, with further funding to follow. “Shell's failure to ...

25 Jul 2011 16:18 Africa/Lagos Nigeria security forces in random killing following bomb blast LONDON, July 25, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Nigerian authorities must immediately put a stop to unlawful killings by security forces, Amnesty International said today after at least 23 people were killed by police following a bomb blast on Saturday in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri. The bomb, allegedly set off by the Islamist group Boko Haram, went off in the Budum market in central Maiduguri and injured three soldiers. According to reports received by Amnesty International, the Nigerian Joint Military Task Force (JTF) responded by shooting and killing a number of people, apparently at random, before burning down the market. “President Goodluck Jonathan must get a grip on the Nigerian armed forces and immediately prevent them from carrying out further human rights violations and unlawful killings,” said Tawanda Hondora, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Af...

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir 17 Jun 2011 12:42 Africa/Lagos China must arrest Sudanese President LONDON, June 17, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Chinese government should immediately withdraw its invitation to Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, and arrest him if he travels to Beijing, Amnesty International said today. Omar Al-Bashir is due to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and other high-ranking officials as part of a visit from 27-30 June The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued two arrest warrants for Omar Al-Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. The warrants, issued in 2009 and 2010, charge him with criminal responsibility on 10 counts, including murder, extermination, forcible transfer of population, torture and rape. “If China welcomes Omar Al-Bashir it will become a safe haven for alleged perpetrators of genocide”, said Catherine Baber, Deputy Asia Pacific Director at Amnesty Internati...

Nigerian soldiers on patrol in an area of conflict. Security Challenges In Nigeria ~ By Albert Akpor Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan says he is determined to improve security in the country with a new administration that takes power with Sunday's inauguration. Security was a driving issue in the presidential campaign following bomb blasts by militants from the oil-rich Niger Delta and attacks on police by members of an extremist Islamic group in the north. President Jonathan campaigned hard to convince Nigerians that his government was meeting those security challenges. But rioting that immediately followed his election raised anew questions about security preparedness. The New York-based rights organization Human Rights Watch says Muslim-Christian electoral violence in northern states killed at least 800 people. President Jonathan says he is determined to protect Nigerians wherever they live. “As president, it is my solemn duty to defend the constitution of this country. That...

The Nigerian military must not use excessive force to quell riots and demonstrations taking place around the imminent announcement of presidential election results, Amnesty International said today. “We are extremely concerned about the escalation of violence in northern and central Nigeria by protestors and urge the Nigerian authorities to ensure that excessive force is not used against protesters,” said Tawanda Hondora, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Africa. “Political leaders on all sides must act responsibly and tell their supporters to stop all acts of violence and human rights abuses.” Rioting and violent attacks have been reported in the north and centre of the country, including Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi and Plateau states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The security forces' response to this unrest must not lead to further human rights violations. The police and military must respect human life and use proportionate means to police demonstrations...

10 Mar 2011 14:27 Africa/Lagos Sudan / Crackdown on peaceful protest continues KARTHOUM, March 10, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Sudanese authorities must release over 50 protesters arrested during a peaceful anti-government demonstration in the capital Khartoum, Amnesty International said today. Police and Agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) reportedly beat protesters in Abu Jenzir Square who were calling for an end to President Al Bashir's 21-year rule. Among those arrested are prominent human rights activists, politicians and journalists. Some were arrested at their homes by the NISS. The protest was part of ongoing demonstrations organized by youth groups and opposition parties inspired by the anti-government protests in North Africa. "The Sudanese government must immediately release all demonstrators" said Erwin van der Borght Amnesty International's Africa Director. "The authorities must also investigate all all...

Amnesty or Travesty? I have decided not to approve the so called Amnesty the Federal Government has given to the so called militants in the Niger Delta region, because the celebrated Nigerian Nobel Laureate in Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka already spoken my mind in his critical analysis of the anomie in Between Amnesty and Amnesia . The recourse to Amnesty after the punitive campaign of the Joint Task Force (JTF) failed woefully is begging the question of the Niger Delta crisis and not a solution. The solution to the Niger Delta crisis is not a Herculean task if the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) wants to be truly honest and transparent. The bloody battle in the Niger Delta over resource control is actually a power struggle between mercenaries of the oligarchy in Nigeria fighting over illegal oil bunkering in the oil rich states of the Niger Delta. Both the serving and retired top military officers are actively engaged in the criminal operation of illegal oil bunkering and th...

14 Mar 2008 01:01 Africa/Lagos Amnesty International Reveals New CIA 'Disappearance' Case That Began in Abu Ghraib Former Detainee Was Held More Than 2 Years in "Black Site," Human Rights Organization Reports WASHINGTON, March 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International today exposed in a new report, "From Abu Ghraib to secret CIA custody: The case of Khaled al-Maqtari," further details of the cruelty and illegality of the CIA program of secret detentions and enforced disappearances -- a program re-authorized by President Bush in June 2007. In an exclusive to Amnesty International, 31-year-old Yemeni national Khaled Abdu Ahmed Saleh al-Maqtari recounted his ordeal as one of the men most recently released from secret detention in May 2007. Initially a "ghost detainee" at Abu Ghraib, he was transferred to CIA custody in Afghanistan, then held in unknown locations and in complete isolation for more than two and a half years, without ch...