By Editor
The Amnesty International Nigeria has pushed back against claims by some Northern clerics and influencers accusing the organisation of “biased and selective reporting” on killings in Nigeria.
The organisation came under criticism following the release of a recent report which alleged that 10,000 people had been killed due to terrorism under President Bola Tinubu’s administration within two years.
The report stated that 7000 of the victims were from Benue State, 2600 from Plateau State, and 691 from Sokoto, Zamfara, and other Northern states.
However, some Northern Islamic figures including Sheik Bin Al-Qasim Asaduls, Dan Bello, Arewa Mufarka, Sharfaddeen Bature, and others described the report as one-sided. In a video posted on Facebook, Sheik Al-Qasim alleged that Amnesty International was deliberately ignoring the killings of Muslims while amplifying incidents involving Christians.
“Amnesty claims to defend human rights, but many of us believe it is driven by a Western agenda. They remain silent when Muslims are killed but rush to release statements whenever Muslims react to provocation or defend their Prophet,” he had said.
He had added, “Amnesty International, under the guise of justice, is inciting conflict and trying to destabilise the North. Their actual goal is not to protect the oppressed but to create division.”
In reaction to the allegations, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, defended the credibility of the report and dismissed the accusations as a smear campaign.
He said, “At Amnesty International Nigeria, we remain focused and dedicated to protecting and promoting human rights.
“Paying influencers and Islamic clerics to carry out ignorant smear campaign won’t detract us from doing the important work we are doing of ensuring that human rights of all Nigerians are protected.
“Our research is always evidence-based and committed to human rights accountability. These diversionary tactics are a shameless attempt to avoid investigating the accounts of human rights violations which have been presented by Amnesty International on 29 May.”
Another critic, Nastaru Sharif, in an interview with DCL Hausa, had questioned the figures presented by Amnesty, claiming they were politically motivated and exaggerated.
