Following the recent attempt to register Nigerians from the Northern part of the country, a civil activist and a non-governmental organization have approached the court for the determination of the matter. RAPHAEL EDE reports
A civil right activist Alhaji Mohamed Lawan Ayavga in conjunction with Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, have dragged Enugu state Attorney General and five others to court over the registration of Northerners in the state.
In a suit No. FHC/EN/M/106/2014 filed at the Federal High court in Enugu and signed by Olu Omotayo, Director Civil liberties Organisation, the applicants applied for an order for the enforcement of fundamental human right of the Northern community resident in Enugu.
The plaintiffs’ application is centred on the registration through coercion of the northern people who carry out their lawful trade in various parts of Enugu state by the Enugu state government.
The respondents in the suit include: Attorney General of Enugu State, Alhaji Hammed Garba, (SSA to the Governor of Enugu State on Inter-community matters) Alhaji Haruna Sule (Sarki Hausawa), Alhaji Yussuf Sambo, Alhaji Baba Ali, and Alhiji Tijani (Chairman Tomatoes dealers Akwata) 1st – 6th respondents respectively.
In a 19 paragraph affidavit deposed to by Alhaji Ayavga, 1st applicant, in support of the Originating Summons, they “alleged that the 2nd to the 6th respondents acting in concert with the state government and security agencies allegedly used threats and asked the northern people to register for an identity card which is not recoganised by the 1999 constitution as amended.”
Alhaji Ayavga’s application was for himself and on behalf of other northern people resident in Enugu state. They asked the court to give an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents from taking further steps in connection with the matter or maintaining status quo or staying all actions pending the determination of the application.
Sources from the Hausa community in Enugu said that the 2-6th respondents told the northern community that government had directed them to carry out the registration but that some of the people viewed that registration with skepticism which resulted in the opposition to it.
Some people who identified with Alhaji Ayavga’s action expressed dismay that only the northern traders were singled out for this registration; a situation that precipitated in their stiff opposition.
They said that the same group had some time ago asked them contribute N20,000 for purpose of getting shops in Egede, Udi local government area and till this time the shops have neither been given nor did the applicants get their monies back.
One Mallam Garba who spoke to our correspondent, alleged that “they no longer have confidence in some of the defendants arguing that the same people had earlier gotten the sum of N6 million naira for the purpose of leasing a land for a cemetery by Moslem community in Enugu but could not give account of the money to the people when Chime’s government in her usual magnanimity allocated a land to them for free.”
“How can we believe them when they have over time denied us of the state government Sallah largesse meant for the Moslem community in the state’’. The Hajj slots to us by the state government are hijacked and shared to their cronies with recourse to the majority of the people’’, he said.
Ayavga had contended in his affidavit that the so called Id card was being signed by the Sarki Hausawa Harun Sule who he said was not the leader of the Northern community in the state as all other ethnic groups like the Fulanis, Tivs, Idomas etc have their own leaders just like Sarki Huasawa.
The petition stated that after a meeting with 2-6th respondent, they were informed by the applicant that policy was unacceptable and that the national Id card was enough to serve the identification needs of the northern people in Enugu.
The petitioners averred that due to the threat anybody who fails to purchase the form and obtain the Id card would be termed a Boko haram member.
Our people were intimidated into believing that anyone who refuses to identify with will be tagged a member of Boko haram and will be handed over to the police, he continued.
The 2nd respondent Alhaji Hammed Garba popularly known as Garba Turaki, when contacted denied government’s involvement in the registration matter but said that the directive to register the northern people was made by the police and DSS in order to curb the seeming hostility accorded northerners who are in the state doing legitimate businesses.
He said that the head of the northerners trading at various markets in Enugu state were part of the agreement to register the people denying the allegation that he was part of the process as a government representative.
Irked by this problem, the South-South and South-East Arewa coalition led by its coordinator Mallam Awal Yusuf carried the matter to the Arewa Consultative Forum where the Apex Northern cultural organisation made a statement that attracted the interest of the Federal government.
Mallam Yusuf, a human right activist, journalist and social commentator told our correspondent that, “we are fighting intimidation, victimization and extortion of the talakawas”.
These so called northern leaders have been marginalizing from our people through various treacherous means, that’s why went complain to the Arewa consultative Forum that our own people are now the ones that ganged up to collect illegal monies for the purpose of registering them. Mallam Yusuf who was quoted by a national daily as saying that Governor Sullivan Chime is ready to help by sending his lawyer to defend them in court, promptly denied that statement adding that the state Attorney General had already sent a state counsel to defend the state on the matter.
Consequently the Federal Government has directed state governments, who have been registering and deporting some Nigerians from their states in effort to stop Boko Haram attack, to forthwith stop the illegal action.
Government noted that all Nigerians by provision of 1999 constitution were free to settle down in any part of the country that they so desire.
This decision was reached at the National Security Council meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in Abuja.
While briefing journalists after the meeting, the Director General of the Department of State Security, Ita Ekpeyong said security agents has been directed not to be involved in such unlawful activities, as severe punishment await defaulters.
Ekpeyong said, “The council discussed in details the issue of registration of Nigerians in any part of the country, being subjected to registration, being subjected to deportation, being taken away from one part of the country to the other. The council discussed the reaction of some groups in Kano State and other parts of the country and observed that this threat was more potent than Boko Haram and could disintegrate the country.
“And we take this very seriously, for people to deport people, for people to take people from one place to the other, for registration of indigenes no matter where they are. No matter where they are, they are free to settle anywhere they like.
“The council resolved that the issue of registration of Nigerians anywhere in the country and deportation should stop forthwith. To re-emphasis the importance the President has attached to this, he asked the IG and I to address the press. This must stop forthwith.
“Security operatives should not be involved in anybody trying to register people and anybody trying to deport people. Security operatives must henceforth not be involved. If the policemen, SSS officials are found to be involved, they will be severely dealt it.”
