The Nigerian Christian population is fast disappearing from security and paramilitary establishments, according to figures released by frontline rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety).

A statement released on Sunday in Onitsha by the group showed “the present patterns and trends of gross lopsidedness in key appointments made since June 2015 by the current central Government of Muhammadu Buhari into the country’s top 21 security and paramilitary establishments.”

Statistics release by Intersociety showed the South-East to be the worst hit in the said lopsided appointments, entirely excluded in some cases.

Entitled ‘Table Statistics Of Lopsided Appointments In Security & Paramilitary Establishments-Fuelling Fulani Jihadism And Regime Aided Killings In Nigeria’, the statement was signed by Intersociety’s Board Chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Programme, Barr Obianuju Joy Igboeli; Head, Democracy & Good Governance Programme, Barr Chinwe Umeche; and Head, Public Security & Safety Programme, Barr Jacinta Ezinwanne.

Intersociety blamed the overwhelming dominance of the Muslim North for the country’s worsening security situation, especially the reign of terror by violent Fulani herdsmen in parts of the country.

The statement reads in part: “It is recalled that we had in our last public statement, dated 14^th March 2018 and titled: Government False Labeling and Lopsided Security Appointments Fuel and Escalate Janjaweed Jihadism in Nigeria; informed that lopsided appointments in security and paramilitary establishments in Nigeria particularly since June 2015 have largely been responsible for intensification and escalation of the ongoing killing spree mostly, if not all targeted at non Muslims particularly members of the Christian faith in Nigeria or any part thereof. We also rejected in totality the false labeling by the present central Government of Muhammadu Buhari and its mainstream media apologists of the killings as “Fulani Herdsmen/Farmers clashes”.

“In furtherance of our intellectual, investigative and research capacity and frontiers, we have gone further by presenting below the Table Statistics and their analytical simplifications showing the present patterns and trends of gross lopsidedness in key appointments made since June 2015 by the current central Government of Muhammadu Buhari into the country’s top 21 security and paramilitary establishments. Presented too in the analytical table statistics are ethno-religious domination of the headship of Nigeria Police Force’s 29 serving AIGs, 12 Zonal Command AIGs and 37 State and FCT CPs as well as another table showing the domination of most of the key military formations in Southeast Nigeria by officers of Northern Muslim backgrounds.

“As all may know; the internal security of Nigeria or traditional security of persons and properties within the country are conventionally, constitutionally and legally entrusted in the hands of the Nigeria Police Force. Owing to multi pluralistic composition of Nigeria as a country of 389 tribes with dominant three and multi religious setting-largely populated by Christians and Muslims; the old Nigerian Constitutions and its subsisting 1999 Constitution forbade and still forbid State actors from entrusting the security of the country in the hands of members of a particular ethnic or religious group.

“This is to ensure, among other things, the feeling of security and security proper among all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, ethnicity, religion or gender. This is more so when the country is acutely divided along ethno-religious lines and embedded with deepened signs of divided society. It remains our firm position that any effort at tackling the current ceaseless killings or butcheries and insecurity and other unsafe conditions; without total restructuring and reversal of the present gross lopsided security and paramilitary compositions in the country in accordance with Section 14 (3) of the subsisting Constitution will be grossly counterproductive or tantamount to fire brigade approach.

“In the area of composition and leadership of the Nigeria Police Force, for instance, it is saddled with a top management team called “the Nigeria Police Force Management Team”; composed of all serving DIGs, AIGs, the 12 Police Zonal Command AIGs and the Force Secretary, etc. The internal security or national policing policy directions are formulated, discussed and implemented at the level of Nigeria Police Management Team; from where they are implemented as instructed by the 37 serving State CPs and ors.

“It therefore shocks and saddens our heart that the Igbo Nation as a whole; with estimated population of 40m-50m and largest Christian strong-hold in Nigeria do not have a single serving AIG among the country’s 29 serving AIGs. The Zone including its satellite extensions in South-south, and North-central also do not have a single serving Zonal Command AIG out of the country’s 12 serving AIGs. In the CPs, DCPs and ACPs’ ranks, the Southeast population is terminally diminishing; with orchestrated plans or policy to eliminate the Zone from the top command echelon of the Force. It is further appalling that out of the country’s 37 State and FCT serving CPs, only two are from the Southeast and entire Igbo Nation; with their retirement barely one year ahead.

“It may most likely be correct to say that the sedentary, semi pastoral and pastoral Igbo Nation and their largely Christian faithful are at high risk of pogrom and religious cleansing in the country sooner or later. A clear case in point is the ongoing extermination of Christians and other non Muslim nationalities of Northern Nigeria; which have put estimated 30 million of them in disarray; forced over 1.5million of them to flee and resulted in the death of over 20,000 others since 2009.

“It is also strongly suspected that the Igbo satellite communities in Benue and Kogi States are at high risk of extermination and religious cleansing. As a matter of research findings, there are millions of Igbo People of Benue and Kogi States including over 1million Igbo People historically referred to as “Igbo People of Umuezekaoha Clan in Benue State” (Emeka Umeagbalasi 2017); just as there are “Igbo People of Gusau” in present Zamfara State; who migrated to the area in 1600 Century AD, two hundred years before the arrival of Shehu Usman Dan Fodio of the Fula Clan (Chekwas Okorie 2017).

“The ongoing butchery in Kogi State by Fulani Jihadists which started on Wednesday night, 14^th March 2018, resulting in the death of not less than 50 Christians (by official and independent statistics) is a further attestation of the fact that the killings by Fulani Janjaweeds are far from rift over grazing rights or the so called “Fulani Herdsmen/Farmers’ clashes”. In spite of seizing and ceding of 15,000 hectares of lands by the Governor of Kogi State and donation of same to Federal Government for onward transfer to Mr. President’s Fulani brothers; the latest round of killing is a clear indication that the killings are purely ethno-religiously intended and executed with State aiding.

“In the past fifteen days of the outgoing Month of March, updated statistics from official and independent circles show that over 120 rural Christians have been hacked to death by Fulani Jihadists in Kogi (Dekina and Omala LGAs), Benue (Okpokwu) and Plateau (Zirshe Dundu in Bassa LGA and Mararaba Dare, near Rafiki Community). By Senator Atai Aidoko (Kogi East)’s account, 32 were killed as at 15^th March. The death had risen to 50 as at 16^th March according to media accounts on the ground.

“In Benue State 22 more citizens were killed and buried in Okpokwu in the past two weeks. In Plateau State, 25 persons were killed in the last Monday night attacks in Zirshe Dundu Community in Kwali District of Bassa LGA when villagers gathered to bury four of their own earlier killed on Saturday night. The Commander of 3 Division Garrison Jos, Brig Gen Texas Chukwu also disclosed that his personnel recovered 23 fresh dead bodies who are victims of Fulani Herdsmen killings in the late night of Wednesday 14^th March 2018 at Mararaba Dare village, near Rafiki Community in Plateau State.

“For more details, see Guardian Newspapers of 14th and 16^th March 2018 as well as the Sun Newspaper of 17^th March 2018. The updated statistics of the recent Fulani Herdsmen killings bring the total number of rural Christians and other non Muslims killed by the Jihadists since December 2018, a period of less than four months or 105 days to not less than 520. Till date, no single perpetrator has been arrested and put on trial by the central Government of Muhammadu Buhari.”

Intersociety backed its claims with the following statistics:

(A) KEY APPOINTMENTS IN SECURITY AND PARAMILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS AND THEIR REGIONAL REPRESENTATION

NORTHERN TABLE

SOUTHERN TABLE

Summary:

Total Top Security & Paramilitary Appointments=21

North=18

South=3

NW/NE/NC=18

S/W=2

S/S=1

S/E=Nil

Muslims=17

Christians=3

(B) 29 SERVING POLICE AIGs IN NIGERIA

NORTHWEST TABLE

NORTH EAST TABLE

NORTH-CENTRAL TABLE

SOUTH WEST TABLE

SOUTH-SOUTH TABLE

SOUTH EAST TABLE

Summary:

Total Serving Police AIGs in Nigeria=29

North= 23

South=6

Northwest=10

Northeast=5

North-Central=8

Southwest=5

South-south=1

Southeast=Nil

Total Muslims=22

Total Christians=7

(C) 12 POLICE ZONAL COMMANDS IN NIGERIA AND THEIR AIGs

NORTH WEST TABLE

NORTH EAST TABLE

NORTH CENTRAL TABLE

SOUTH WEST TABLE

SOUTH-SOUTH TABLE

SOUTH EAST TABLE

Summary:

Total Serving Zonal Command AIGs in Nigeria=12

North=9

South=3

N/W=3

N/C=4

N/E=2

S/W=2

S/S=1

S/E=Nil

Muslims=8

Christians=4

(D) 37 STATES & FCT POLICE COMMANDs AND THEIR CPs

NORTH WEST TABLE

NORTH EAST TABLE

NORTH-CENTRAL TABLE

SOUTH WEST TABLE

SOUTH – SOUTH TABLE

SOUTH EAST TABLE

Summary:

Total Serving State CPs in Nigeria=37

North=23

South=14

NW=12

N/E=8

N/C=3

S/W=7

S/S=5

S/E=2

Muslims=24

Christians=13

STATISTICS OF NORTHERN MUSLIM OFFICERS DOMINATION OF MILITARY FORMATIONS IN SOUTHEAST

NAME	POSITION	RELIGION
Major Gen Adamu Baba Abubakar	GOC 82 Division, Enugu	Northern Muslim
Col Sagir Musa	Deputy Director of Information, 82 Division	Northern Muslim
Lt Col C.O. Ibrahim	Commanding Officer, Onitsha 302 Cantonment Military Police	Northern Muslim
Lt Col Sidi Kasim Umar	Commanding Officer of 144 Battalion (sector), Ukwa-Ngwa of the 14 Brigade-Ohafia, Abia State	Northern Muslim
Comments Post Comment Name Comment Submit