While in the US, president Buhari criticized the Leahy Law - a U.S.
human rights law that prohibits the U.S. Department of State and
Department of Defense from providing military assistance to
foreign
military units that violate human rights. Reacting, the sponsor of the
Law, US Senator Patrick Leahy (the law is named after him) said Buhari
is misguided in his criticism as the law, which has so far stopped the
US govt from assisting Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram, can't be
blamed for the atrocities committed by the 'murderers and rapists in the
Nigerian military'.
“It is well-documented by the State Department and by respected human
rights organisations that Nigerian army personnel have, for many years,
engaged in a pattern and practice of gross violations of human rights
against the Nigerian people and others, including summary executions of
prisoners, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, torture, forced
disappearances and rape.
Rarely have the perpetrators been prosecuted or
punished. This abusive conduct not only violates the laws of war, it
creates fear and loathing among the Nigerian people whose support is
necessary to defeat a terrorist group like Boko HaramPresident Buhari
ignores the undisputed fact that most Nigerian army units have been
approved, under the Leahy Law, for U.S. training and equipment.
Only those particular units against which there is credible evidence of
the most heinous crimes are ineligible for U.S. aid. And even those
units can again become eligible if the Nigerian Government takes
effective steps to bring the responsible individuals to justice. I
strongly agree with President Buhari about the need to defeat Boko
Haram, and I have supported tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid to
Nigeria for that purpose. But rather than suggest that the United States
is at fault for not funding murderers and rapists in the Nigerian
military, he should face up to his own responsibility to effectively
counter Boko Haram. He should direct his attention to the Nigerian
military, and the Nigerian courts, and clean up the units implicated in
such atrocities.” He said
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