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- Make justice a priority: ensure that the individuals
responsible for organizing and carrying out the violence in Plateau and Kano states are identified, arrested, charged, and tried promptly, according to
international fair trial standards.
- Publish the findings of all commissions of inquiry set up
by the federal and state governments on the violence in Plateau and Kano states since 2001.
- Ensure an adequate security force presence in areas of
likely tension in Plateau and Kano states, and improve mechanisms to
obtain reinforcements rapidly should the need arise. Efforts should be
made to anticipate and prevent violence, rather than just reacting after
violence has already begun.
- Give strict instructions to members of the Nigerian police
and military deployed to quell rioting that force should never be used
against individuals who are unarmed and are not taking part in violence or
other criminal activities. In addition, members of the security forces
should make every effort to arrest individuals suspected of criminal
activity without resorting to lethal force. All members of the security
forces should respect the U.N. Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement
Officials and the U.N. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms
by Law Enforcement Officials and their conduct should be monitored to
ensure that these standards are adhered to at all times.
- Investigate promptly all reports of extrajudicial killings
by the police and the military in Kano in May 2004, and ensure that the
perpetrators are suspended from active duty and brought to justice without
delay. Inform the families of the victims of the progress of such
investigations, as well as any judicial action taken, and provide
compensation for the loss of their relatives. Investigations into
extrajudicial killings should conform with the U.N. Principles on the
Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extralegal, Arbitrary and
Summary Executions.
- Investigate promptly reports of rape and sexual abuse
against women taken captive from Yelwa in May 2004 and ensure that those
responsible are prosecuted. Police investigations into allegations of
rape should be undertaken by female police officers trained for this task.
- Continue to encourage dialogue and conflict resolution
between ethnic and religious communities in Plateau and Kano states, at
the level of the grassroots as well as the leadership. Conflict
resolution initiatives should not preclude the search for justice.
- Pursue a program of disarmament and continue with
initiatives to encourage people to hand in weapons. Strengthen controls
over weapons flows and improve border security with neighboring
countries. Take the lead in pressing for the implementation of a binding
regional convention on small arms to replace the ECOWAS small arms
moratorium.
- Remove references to the concept of “indigeneship” from
the Nigerian Constitution and other official documents and discourse, as
the manner in which this concept has been applied violates Nigeria’s obligations under Article 2 of the International Covenant for Civil and Political
Rights. Ensure that all Nigerians are able to enjoy the same rights,
regardless of their place of origin or residence.
- Address the issues at the heart of the disputes between
communities, such as control of local political positions, economic
resources and ownership of land.
- Continue to seek long-term solutions to the tensions and
grievances among communities and pursue meaningful dialogue about peaceful
ways of resolving these tensions at all levels.
- Refrain from making statements which incite violence or
encourage hostility and prejudice towards other ethnic or religious
communities.
- In situations of potential tension, explicitly and
publicly call on members of their community to refrain from resorting to
violence. Make clear that retaliatory attacks in the name of self-defense
are never a justification for killing or other forms of violence against
unarmed civilians.
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