UN plans probe of alleged rights abuses in Niger Delta

Defence raises security to check militancy

PROTESTS and complaints of rights violation in the Niger Delta are to be probed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Council took the decision following a petition by the Niger Delta Project Group, that the Federal Government had consistently abused the rights of the people, including the exploitation of the resources without due compensation.

The petitioners, who have already taken the Federal Government to court, seeking 90 per cent of the total revenue accruing from oil and gas derivable from the region and its natural resources, want the UN to stop what they described as systematic and calculated bloodshed against the people.

The group, comprising Idaye C. Opi Owupele Philemon, Ilamina Agada, Samuel Effik, Patrick Ederi and Emeka Dite Ojoko, had petitioned the Council accusing the government of forcefully and compulsorily taking from the Niger Delta the revenues from their oil and gas resources without paying royalties to them.

In a letter written to the group and made available to The Guardian, the Secretary of the UN Human Rights Council, Goro Onojima, said the petition has been registered and would be investigated.

“This is to inform you that the communication referred to above has been registered and will be examined under the complaint procedure of the Human Rights Council, established by Council Resolution 5/1 of June 18, 2007, to address consistent patterns of gross and reliably attested violations of all human rights and all fundamental freedoms occurring in any part of the world under any circumstances,” he said.

Guardian Newspaper

realy? After all the money pumped into the ND, the scheming thieves are still not satisfied?

Whose rights is not abused in Nigeria as a whole? And how is the ND different from Nigeria as a whole?

"The petitioners, who have already taken the Federal Government to court, seeking 90 per cent of the total revenue accruing from oil and gas derivable from the region and its natural resources, want the UN to stop what they described as systematic and calculated bloodshed against the people."

Who is killing who? 90% of total revenue to go into the region? Na wa. So its the UN that will determine resource control in Nigeria?