President of Nigeria requesting it to reverse its decision for zero compensation to
Boko Haram victims.
The Organization stated that, in the wake of the devastation by Boko Haram,
compensation and reparation programmes are absolutely essential to deliver
justice to the victims of human rights abuses precipitated by the group. They
further contended that paying compensation and reparation to victims of human
rights by Boko Haram is a matter of right and not charity; also that refusing or
failing to pay adequate compensation and reparation to victims is to buy impunity
for perpetrators.
SERAP is seriously concerned about the policy of your government that there will
be no compensation paid to victims of Boko Haram attacks. This policy is a clear
violation of the Country’s international human rights obligations and
commitments to provide effective remedies, including compensation and
reparation to victims of serious human rights abuses such as those perpetrated by
Boko Haram.
The attacks against innocent citizens by the Boko Haram constitutes gross
violation of international human rights law, having been systematically
perpetrated, and affecting in qualitative and quantitative terms, the most basic
rights of human beings, notably the right to life and the right to physical and moral
integrity of the human person.
The content of the petition is published in several Newspaper publications
published in Nigeria. The Applicants relied on the contents of these publications
as made available at page 12 of vol. 25. No 62010 of the Vanguard Newspaper of
the 8th November 2013 in proof of this averment.
Even though the 1st Defendant was given a 14 day ultimatum, it failed, refused
and or neglected to provide reparation and compensation to the victims of Boko
Haram, including the Applicants.
This formed the reason why the National Assembly (the legislative arm of the 1 st
Defendant) under the auspices of the Senate Joint Committee on National Security
and Intelligence and Judiciary Human Rights and Legal matter on the
investigation alleged extra- judicial killings in Apo, Abuja, merely recommended
6