AMBASSADORIAL POSTS: PDP accuses Buhari’s govt of attempting to shield ex-service chiefs from investigation

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of trying to shield the immediate past service chiefs from investigation for alleged crimes against humanity with their nominations as non-career ambassadors.

The party stated this in a statement titled: “Ambassadorial nomination: PDP rejects moves to shield ex-service chiefs from investigation,” and issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.

President Buhari had on Thursday nominated the quartet of Lt. Gen Abayomi Olonisakin, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas and Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar as non-career ambassadors.

The former military chiefs retired from service last month.

The statement read: “The PDP charges the Senate to eschew all partisan considerations and stand on the side of the people, particularly the victims of atrocious regime of the ex-service chiefs by outrightly rejecting the demand by President Muhammadu Buhari to confirm them as ambassadors.

“It is indeed sacrilegious and a horrible assault on the sensibility of Nigerians that the APC government is seeking to use ambassadorial appointments as desperate measure to secure diplomatic immunity for the former commanders and protect them from investigation, arrest, and possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the atrocities committed against innocent Nigerians under their command.

“The PDP asserts that appointing the former service chiefs as ambassadors would confer diplomatic immunity on them and provide them a route for escape.

READ ALSO: Buhari writes Senate, nominates former service chiefs as ambassadors-designate

“The party further stated that taking such actions at a time the ICC has declared its readiness to commence full investigation on their alleged involvement in the crime against humanity in our country, appears to further validate the allegations against them.

“Moreover, the frenzy by officials of the Buhari Presidency in mounting pressure on the Senate to confirm such abominable ambassadorial nominations has further raised public apprehensions of a desperate attempt to cover the culpability of some other individuals connected to the APC administration.

“It is shocking that instead of allowing the former service chiefs to answer for the alleged crime against humanity under their command including reported cases of extra-judicial execution, killing of unarmed protesters at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos, rape, illegal arrest as well as detention and torture of innocent Nigerians, the APC administration is rather plotting their escape.

“The accused service chiefs must not be allowed to use diplomatic immunity to escape investigation and possible prosecution for the killing of unarmed #EndSARS protester at Lekki Toll gate and other parts of the country as well as the hundreds of civilians reportedly killed by soldiers in the Zaria massacre.

“Our party, therefore, calls on Nigerians, across board, to unite in rejecting these ambassadorial nominations for the accused former commanders and demand that President Buhari should immediately withdraw their nominations from the Senate. The least that is expected of President Buhari is to direct the former service chiefs to answer for the alleged crimes.”

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