Some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have described as baseless, unfounded and scapegoating, allegations by the military that they were responsible for festering, unabated terrorism in the northern part of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by 74 prominent NGOs operating in the country and made available to our Correspondent yesterday, the groups urged the military to focus on disrupting terrorists funding and logistics rather than scapegoating civil society.
The statement followed a report “Why Boko Haram, bandits thrive: How NGOs, others aid terrorists -Former generals, commanders” published last week by a national daily.
Aside from the quoted report, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Christopher Musa and past service chiefs have previously made similar allegations against NGOs operating in the northeast, citing their payments of hotel accommodations in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states for 10 years upfront as example.
A spokesman for former President Muhammadu Buhari also made a similar accusation while justifying the military’s ousting of over 10 NGOs from the northeast on allegations of supporting insurgents.
But in their reaction, the nonprofits said they were deployed concerned about the inflammatory claims that recklessly accused NGOs in the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions of providing covert sponsorship and funding to terrorists.
They called for caution, noting that such inflammatory statements could lead to attacks on humanitarian actors thereby deepening the crisis further.
The groups noted that the baseless accusations were coming at a time when the world had recognised the central role that vibrant and active civil society organisations play in broader counterterrorism strategies and the popular support needed, which could only be built and sustained with the support and cooperation of civil society.
“We strongly condemn this act of stigmatising, smearing, defaming and targeting the NGO sector which is inconsistent with meaningfully attending to the genuine threats of terrorism in our country.
“Rather than confronting the systemic failures that have allowed terrorism to thrive in Nigeria, these claims attempt to shift blame onto the very organisations that have stepped into the void to support communities abandoned by the Nigerian state.
“It is a known fact that a civilian-led approach, engaging civil society and communities, is the most effective way to prevent violent extremism demonstrating the necessity of the role of civil society in channelling discontent and allowing for constructive engagement with states, and in directly undermining the factors leading individuals to be drawn to terrorism and violent extremism,” they stated.
Continuing, the groups noted the indispensable roles they have played in mitigating the devastating impact of insurgency and banditry for nearly two decades, adding that they have provided life-saving humanitarian assistance, education, healthcare, and psychosocial support to millions of displaced and vulnerable Nigerians.
“These activities are carried out without any intention of gaining pecuniary benefit and they operate under the supervision of strict regulatory frameworks, including rigorous anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws enforced by the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
“It is unconscionable to malign NGOs that work tirelessly, often at great personal risk, to bring hope and relief to conflict-affected communities. These accusations, devoid of proof, serve only to erode public trust, distract from the real issues, and undermine the critical work being done in some of the country’s most challenging environments.
“As we mark another Armed Forces Remembrance Day and honour the sacrifices of Nigeria’s armed forces, there can be little doubt that Nigeria needs leadership, unity, and aggressive actions to overcome the challenges of insecurity, NGOs across the country have risen to the crises our nation is enduring.
“They are stretching beyond all reasonable measures and continue to advance their missions despite unfathomable challenges and coordinated attacks on the sector…This pattern of baseless accusations is a disservice to Nigerians and undermines the very principles of accountability and justice that we all seek to uphold.
“The cost of stifling civil society to prevent any perceived threat of terrorism far outweighs its benefits. Any effective counter-terrorism strategy needs to strengthen, not weaken, civil society. There is growing evidence that the instrumentalisation of agendas to counter-terrorism and to prevent and counter violent extremism is leading to a lack of trust in state authorities,” it said.
The group demanded that the Nigerian government and military leadership should address the real reasons terrorism persists such as rampant poverty and inequality, porous borders, corruption and inefficiency in defence spending.
“The Nigerian Security Apparatus should focus its efforts and manpower on disrupting terrorist funding and logistics networks rather than scapegoating civil society. It must also enhance intelligence gathering and operational capacity to secure lives and properties.
“The government must engage constructively with NGOs to address the root causes of insecurity and alleviate the suffering of affected communities understanding that civil society can meaningfully generate peace and development, including implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and can clearly articulate the sources of grievances identified as factors leading to terrorist and extremist violence.”
NGOs that signed the statement include 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth Initiative; Abuja School of Social and Political Thought; Accountability Lab, Nigeria; Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ); African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD); African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL); Amnesty International Nigeria; Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP); BudgIT Foundation; Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity; Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD); Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding – Kaduna; Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT); Centre for Global Tolerance and Human Rights, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) and Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
Others include Centre LSD; Centre for Social Justice Reform; Centre for Transparency Watch; Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC); CLEEN Foundation; Community Life Project (CLP); Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR); Connected Development (CODE); Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA); EIE Nigeria; Elixir Trust Foundation; Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability; Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA); Falana and Falana’s Chambers; Global Rights; Good Governance Team; Goodluck Jonathan Foundation; Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF); Hope Behind Bars Africa; Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre); Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation; INVICTUS AFRICA; Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre; Lawyers Alert
Media Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI); Media Rights Agenda; Mothers and Marginalized Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre); Nigeria Network of NGOs; Open Society on Justice Reform Project; Order Paper; Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN);
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria; Partners West Africa; Policy Alert; Praxis, Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative.
Also, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC); Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED); Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC); Say NO Campaign-Nigeria; Say No Campaign; Sesor Empowerment Foundation; Social Action; Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre; Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); State of the Union (SOTU); Tax Justice and Governance Platform; Transition Monitoring Group (TMG); West Africa Civil Society Forum (WASCSOF); Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC); Women in Media Communication Initiative (WIM); Women in Mining, Nigeria; World Impact Development Foundation; Yiaga Africa, Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC) and Fix Politics signed the statement.