The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has criticised the planned ‘Operation Positive Identification (OPI)’ exercise recently announced by the leadership of the Nigerian Army.
Gbenga Soloki, CDHR National President, who stated this at the annual general conference of the organisation held in Lagos, advised the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, to desist from “unleashing his men on the Nigerian people”, through the recently announced OPI, stressing that forcing people to identify themselves on the road is a violation of their fundamental rights.
Soloki, who explained that attempt by the Army chief to deploy military men and officers to the street, is a clear negation of the roles of the military and usurpation of the constitutional role of the police, maintained that the process is faulty and should not be implemented.
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According to him, “The planned Operation Positive Identification (OPI), being proposed by the Chief of Army Staff, is a clear usurpation of the powers of the police. It’s a programme that will impact negatively on the rights of the people of Nigeria, thus we reject it. The army should concern itself with its constitutional assigned role and leave internal security to the police.”
Highlight of the day was the endorsement of the reconciliatory process initiated and recommended by the National Executive Council of the organisation to the annual general conference, and the tenure elongation of the current executive by three months to drive the reconciliation move.
