Buhari and Human Rights

Muhammadu Buhari has one of the worst human rights
records of anyone who has ever ruled the nation of
Nigeria, second only to Sanni Abacha, in the terror
unleashed on his fellow citizens. The major instrument of
Buhari's war against his own countrymen and women was
the NSO (National Security Organization of Nigeria) which
he used, to strike fear into the hearts of the people.
Anyone who dared to question Buhari could be assured of
a "knock at the door" and many experienced the painful
reality of arbitrary arrest and detention by the NSO, under
Buhari's Military Rule.
Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, created the dreaded NSO under
Decree number 27 of 1976, just after the unsuccessful
Dimka coup which killed Murtala Mohammed. The NSO
continued after Obasanjo, under elected President Shehu
Shagari. But of course Shagari's elected government was
overthrown by this same Muhammadu Buhari, in a
military coup on December 31st 1983. It would take
nearly 17 years for Nigeria to return to the path of
democracy after this coup!
Under Buhari, the NSO became one of the most feared
organisations in Nigeria's history. Buhari's hatchet-man at
the NSO was his fellow Katsina native, Mohammed
Rafindadi. The so called "war on corruption" by Buhari was
carried out with untold cruelty and brutality on Nigerians
and foreigners alike. In 1984 alone, Buhari's military
government sentenced over 100 people to death. Buhari
promulgated the callous State Security (Detention of
Persons) Decree Number 2 of 1984, which allowed
anyone at all to simply be detained without access to the
normal process of law.
Nigeria never had it so bad. Anyone who dared mention
"civilian rule" was threatened or arrested. Nobody,
whether Nigerian or foreigner was safe from Buhari and
the NSO. Fear became everybody's closest companion.
American Marie McBroom, was arrested by the NSO and
held for nine months without charge. The elderly Michael
Ajasin was constantly re-arrested and detained repeatedly,
under Decree 2. Each time Ajasin was acquitted by the
High Court, Buhari arrested him again. Educationist Tai
Solarin was also detained under the Buhari regime and was
denied his medications while in jail.
Ambrose Alli was sentenced to "100 years in prison" for
corruption by the Buhari regime but was freed after his
fine was paid. He died shortly after release from jail.
Bernard Ogedengbe Lawal Ojuolape, and Bartholomew
Owoh, were sentenced to death by Buhari under Decree
20; a law which did not exist at the time of the crime they
were accused of. Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson, two
journalists with Guardian Newspapers were arrested by
the NSO (and jailed) under "Decree 4" which Buhari
brought in specially to gag the media. The editor of the
Sunday Tribune Folu Olamiti, was also detained under that
decree.
The NSO became the weapon of destruction of Buhari's
real and imagined enemies. Some Nigerians that felt the
wrath of Buhari included Audu Ogbeh, Bisi Onabanjo, Bola
Ige and Fela Kuti. Others who suffered humiliations, were
Femi Aribisala, Femi Falana, Gbenga Ogunniya and Sam
Mbakwe. We should also remember Lateef Jakande, Jim
Nwobodo and Emeka Ojukwu; all arrested and
imprisoned. Buhari even tried to intimidate Chief Obafemi
Awolowo with a team of soldiers turning up to search that
elder statesman's house.
After uprooting democracy with his coup, Buhari gave
quite different treatment to Northern and Southern
Politicians. President Shehu Shagari, was only under house
arrest in Ikoyi, while Dr. Alex Ekwueme, the Vice-President
was detained in Kirikiri Prison. Other Northern politicians
from the Shagari government including Adamu Ciroma,
Aliu Gusau, Awwal Ibrahim, Barkin Zuwo, Lawal Kaita,
Shehu Kangiwa and Suleiman Takuma, were allowed to go
free, some to mysteriously "escape" from the country.
Government officials had their phones and other
communications monitored. Over 50,000 civil servants
were forced out of their jobs under Buhari. Spending on
social services and health care was drastically cut by him.
School fees were increased, scholarships and free school
meals were cancelled, and some educational institutions
shut. Contracts for infrastructure were also arbitrarily
cancelled without any due process, including the Lagos
Metro line Railway Project. Buhari's economic policies led
to a massive shortage of basic food and other staples
needed by common people. Long queues formed each day
as Nigerians endured horsewhipping by uniformed men,
just to buy their allocated ration of simple things their
children needed. That was our life under Buhari!
Yet corruption continued as Nigerians suffered beneath
the boots of Dictator Buhari; and even became worse. The
NSO chief Rafindadi claimed that the famous 53 Suitcases
(supposedly full of money) reported to have been cleared
through the airport in Lagos by Buhari's ADC, were actually
cleared by him (Rafindadi) and did not contain any money
at all!
It is the absolute height of deception for Buhari to now
claim to be the champion of democracy and good
governance. Anyone over 30 years old would have
experienced or have learned of Buhari's past litany of
wickedness against his fellow Nigerians. Maybe his
memory is fading with age, but Nigerians will not forget
what Buhari did to their country. Perhaps that is why
Buhari, in his latest desperate quest to rule Nigeria again; is
reaching out so much to the Nigerian youth. He seeks to
browbeat, bamboozle and befuddle Nigerians into
accepting his "new image", believing many are now too
young to remember him and what he really did to Nigeria.
Someone needs to tell them, who this Buhari really is!
'Buhari and Human Rights Muhammadu Buhari has one of
the worst human rights records of anyone who has ever
ruled the nation of Nigeria, second only to Sanni Abacha,
in the terror unleashed on his fellow citizens. The major
instrument of Buhari's war against his own countrymen
and women was the NSO (National Security Organization
of Nigeria) which he used, to strike fear into the hearts of
the people. Anyone who dared to question Buhari could be
assured of a "knock at the door" and many experienced
the painful reality of arbitrary arrest and detention by the
NSO, under Buhari's Military Rule. Gen. Olusegun
Obasanjo, created the dreaded NSO under Decree number
27 of 1976, just after the unsuccessful Dimka coup which
killed Murtala Mohammed. The NSO continued after
Obasanjo, under elected President Shehu Shagari. But of
course Shagari's elected government was overthrown by
this same Muhammadu Buhari, in a military coup on
December 31st 1983. It would take nearly 17 years for
Nigeria to return to the path of democracy after this coup!
Under Buhari, the NSO became one of the most feared
organisations in Nigeria's history. Buhari's hatchet-man at
the NSO was his fellow Katsina native, Mohammed
Rafindadi. The so called "war on corruption" by Buhari was
carried out with untold cruelty and brutality on Nigerians
and foreigners alike. In 1984 alone, Buhari's military
government sentenced over 100 people to death. Buhari
promulgated the callous State Security (Detention of
Persons) Decree Number 2 of 1984, which allowed
anyone at all to simply be detained without access to the
normal process of law. Nigeria never had it so bad. Anyone
who dared mention "civilian rule" was threatened or
arrested. Nobody, whether Nigerian or foreigner was safe
from Buhari and the NSO. Fear became everybody's
closest companion. American Marie McBroom, was
arrested by the NSO and held for nine months without
charge. The elderly Michael Ajasin was constantly re-
arrested and detained repeatedly, under Decree 2. Each
time Ajasin was acquitted by the High Court, Buhari
arrested him again. Educationist Tai Solarin was also
detained under the Buhari regime and was denied his
medications while in jail. Ambrose Alli was sentenced to
"100 years in prison" for corruption by the Buhari regime
but was freed after his fine was paid. He died shortly after
release from jail. Bernard Ogedengbe Lawal Ojuolape, and
Bartholomew Owoh, were sentenced to death by Buhari
under Decree 20; a law which did not exist at the time of
the crime they were accused of. Nduka Irabor and Tunde
Thompson, two journalists with Guardian Newspapers
were arrested by the NSO (and jailed) under "Decree 4"
which Buhari brought in specially to gag the media. The
editor of the Sunday Tribune Folu Olamiti, was also
detained under that decree. The NSO became the weapon
of destruction of Buhari's real and imagined enemies.
Some Nigerians that felt the wrath of Buhari included
Audu Ogbeh, Bisi Onabanjo, Bola Ige and Fela Kuti. Others
who suffered humiliations, were Femi Aribisala, Femi
Falana, Gbenga Ogunniya and Sam Mbakwe. We should
also remember Lateef Jakande, Jim Nwobodo and Emeka
Ojukwu; all arrested and imprisoned. Buhari even tried to
intimidate Chief Obafemi Awolowo with a team of soldiers
turning up to search that elder statesman's house. After
uprooting democracy with his coup, Buhari gave quite
different treatment to Northern and Southern Politicians.
President Shehu Shagari, was only under house arrest in
Ikoyi, while Dr. Alex Ekwueme, the Vice-President was
detained in Kirikiri Prison. Other Northern politicians from
the Shagari government including Adamu Ciroma, Aliu
Gusau, Awwal Ibrahim, Barkin Zuwo, Lawal Kaita, Shehu
Kangiwa and Suleiman Takuma, were allowed to go free,
some to mysteriously "escape" from the country.
Government officials had their phones and other
communications monitored. Over 50,000 civil servants
were forced out of their jobs under Buhari. Spending on
social services and health care was drastically cut by him.
School fees were increased, scholarships and free school
meals were cancelled, and some educational institutions
shut. Contracts for infrastructure were also arbitrarily
cancelled without any due process, including the Lagos
Metro line Railway Project. Buhari's economic policies led
to a massive shortage of basic food and other staples
needed by common people. Long queues formed each day
as Nigerians endured horsewhipping by uniformed men,
just to buy their allocated ration of simple things their
children needed. That was our life under Buhari! Yet
corruption continued as Nigerians suffered beneath the
boots of Dictator Buhari; and even became worse. The
NSO chief Rafindadi claimed that the famous 53 Suitcases
(supposedly full of money) reported to have been cleared
through the airport in Lagos by Buhari's ADC, were actually
cleared by him (Rafindadi) and did not contain any money
at all! It is the absolute height of deception for Buhari to
now claim to be the champion of democracy and good
governance. Anyone over 30 years old would have
experienced or have learned of Buhari's past litany of
wickedness against his fellow Nigerians. Maybe his
memory is fading with age, but Nigerians will not forget
what Buhari did to their country. Perhaps that is why
Buhari, in his latest desperate quest to rule Nigeria again; is
reaching out so much to the Nigerian youth. He seeks to
browbeat, bamboozle and befuddle Nigerians into
accepting his "new image", believing many are now too
young to remember him and what he really did to Nigeria.
Someone needs to tell them, who this Buhari really is!'
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