Buhari attacks American human right law for “aiding Boko Haram”
By Rotimi Akinola
President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed the inability of his predecessor to overcome Boko Haram on America’s pro-human-right Leahy Law.
The Leahy Law prohibits the U.S. from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights with impunity.
Buhari’s predecessor Goodluck Jonathan had accused the U. S. of not only refusing to sell weapons to Nigeria but also blocking other countries from doing so.
America defended its position by pointing to allegations of sundry human rights violations Amnesty International (AI) leveled against Nigeria’s armed forces.
Sacked military chief Alex Badeh said he does give a hoot about how terrorist blood is spilled as long as he is able to protect Nigerians.
Buhari, while addressing an audience at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), Wednesday, said the allegations of human rights violations were unfounded.
“The Leahy Law has aided and abetted Boko Haram terrorists,” he was also quoted as saying.
He said the law capitalizes on the “so-called human rights violations” leveled against Nigeria’s military to hold the armed forces back from crushing Boko Haram.
Activist Jeffrey Smith said he is “rather stunned about Buhari’s critical, public attack against Leahy Law, which is designed to protect human rights.”
Buhari, who is on an official four-day visit to the U. S., is urging the Americans to provide military assistance to Nigeria with “no strings.”
Buhari, however, admits it will take more than military hardware to overcome the terrorists.
“As we ramp up our efforts to defeat Boko Haram, we know winning battle will require creating jobs for young population,” he said.
A recent survey shows that something else must be employed in the anti-terror war – education.
Boko Haram has killed at least 700 people since Buhari was sworn in on May 29.
Nigerians are waiting to watch Buhari rescue over 200 schoolgirls the terrorists abducted from Borno over a year ago. Buhari told CNN’s Amanpour he was ready to negotiate with Boko Haram to secure the release of the girls.
Nigeria’s opposition figures say dialogue with the terrorists would be a departure from Buhari’s campaign pledge to crush the insurgents with no mercy.
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