SOUTHERN NIGERIA HUMAN RIGHTS UPDATE JAN TO APR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000653

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W ANDREW SILSKI, CA/OCS/ACS/AF FALASHADE
ROBINSON, EB/ESC/IEC/ENR, DS/IP/AF, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL ELAB KIRF NI
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN NIGERIA HUMAN RIGHTS UPDATE JAN TO APR
2006



1. This is a roundup of various recent incidents
representative of the human rights situation in southern
Nigeria. This summary is organized according to the sections
of the annual Human Right Report. These incidents have not
been reported in other cables or are updates of previously
reported items.

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Section 1 - Respect for the Integrity of the Person
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2. On January 10, policemen killed two suspected robbers in
the Rivers State capital city of Port Harcourt. A police
spokesperson said the robbers, dressed in fake army uniforms,
robbed several people before they were killed by the police.
We do not know if the police officers first attempted to use
non-lethal force to subdue the purported robbers prior to the
resort to lethal force.


3. In February, there were outbreaks of religious violence
in the Northern cities of Kano and Maiduguri, following
protests against the Denmark publication of caricatures of
Prophet Muhammed. Reprisal killings against Muslims and
Northerners followed in the southern, predominantly Christian
city of Onitsha. The Christian Association of Nigeria said
at least 50 people were killed in the violence in the North,
and on February 21, hundreds of youths in Onitsha killed as
many as 100 Muslims in retaliation. Violence expanded to the
southern city of Enugu and the northern city of Kontagora.


4. On April 10, seven students were killed during clashes
among three rival cult groups at the Ambrose Alli University
in Edo State. University authorities confirmed the incident,
and said the police have commenced investigation to unravel
the cause of the clash.


5. On April 19, two people were killed when a car exploded
at a military base in Port Harcourt. The Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility
for the explosion and stated that the explosion at the
military base was to send a signal to the Nigerian military
forces that there was little they could do to stop MEND's
campaign in the Niger Delta. Police investigation is still
on-going in Port Harcourt.

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Section 2 - Respect for Civil Liberties
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6. In early January, five Lagos policeman were arrested for
extorting money from innocent motorists at checkpoints.
Lagos State Chief of Police Adebayo christened the effort
"Operation Keep Moving," a directive under which police "are
not to stagnate or impede traffic by collecting money or
making unnecessary demands of motorists."


7. In January, police in Oyo State used teargas to disperse
a high-profile demonstration protesting Governor Ladoja's
impeachment and removal from office. Nobel Laureate Wole
Soyinka and other prominent anti-GON activists participated
in the peaceful rally. Police claimed protestors had not, in
accordance with national law, applied for a permit to
demonstrate, despite the Supreme Court's judgement that the
law was unconstitutional.


8. On February 21, policemen arrested and detained
twenty-four civil society representatives protesting the
alleged third term agenda of President Olsegun Obasanjo
during a zonal constitutional review conference held in
Oshogbo, the Osun State capital. Police arraigned the
protestors before an Oshogbo magistrate court, again using
the pretext of unlawful assembly. They were all granted
bail, and the matter is still pending in court.


9. In March, an Abuja High Court granted bail on health
grounds to Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, a factional leader of the
Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC). (Note. The OPC was founded in
1997 and is a militant socio-political Yoruba nationalist
group. In March 2006, the FG publicly accused the OPC of
killing 10,000 people over the last seven years in acts of
vigilante justice. End Note.) Fasehun is facing trial on
treason charges alongside other leaders of major ethnic
militia groups, including Gani Adams, OPC factional leader,
Alhaji Dokubo Asari, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples
Volunteer Force (NDPVF),and Ralph Uwazurike, leader of the
Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of
Biafra (MASSOB). None of the others have received bail nor
have they been tried.


LAGOS 00000653 002 OF 002


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Section 3 - Respect for Political Rights: Citizens' Right
to Change Their Government
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10. On January 12, the Oyo State House of Assembly impeached
Governor Rasheed Ladoja on charges of corruption and abuse of
office. Underlying the impeachment was a political feud
pitting the Governor against the traditional political
strongman in the state. The latter enjoyed the tacit support
of the Presidency. Governor Ladoja has since filed a
petition in the court challenging his removal. The case is
still pending in court.


11. On April 22, a by-election was held in Ekiti State to
fill a vacant seat in the House of Representatives previously
occupied by the Deputy Governor. The opposition Alliance for
Democracy (AD) party claimed the ruling Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) colluded with election officials and police to
rig the election. The AD also reported several opposition
politicians were arrested and held in Abuja to ensure
elections went the PDP's way. The police denied the charge
and claimed those arrested had tried unlawfully to disrupt
the voting exercise.


12. Outspoken opponent of the President, Abia State Governor
Orji Kalu, had his assets frozen by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

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Section 5 - Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and
Trafficking in Persons
-------------- ---


13. In February, two men were arrested in Delta State for
their involvement in the alleged ritual killings of children.
One was arrested in possession of two human skulls, and the
other was accused of battering and dismembering a
ten-year-old girl.

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Section 6 - Workers Rights
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14. On February 16, the Federal Government (FG) promised a
N30.5 billion (approximately $235 million) severance package
for all maritime workers. The package was promised to
assuage worker anxieties over the concessioning of FG ports.


15. In March in Delta State, 600 workers claiming membership
in the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE)
reportedly went on strike, stopping all municipal works for
several days, over the alleged mistreatment of 3 recently
appointed union-friendly local government councillors. FG
workers are prohibited by law from unionizing.


16. The Ministry of Labor held a regional workshop in March,
including labor leaders from Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and
Liberia. Nigerian Minister of Labor Hassan Lawal asserted
the responsibility of all African countries to uphold workers
rights through increased labor inspections, and he announced
new training programs for labor and occupational safety
inspectors.
BROWNE