Ozekhome Cautions Against Military Intervention

A constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has warned that Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) should jettison any form of military intervention in Niger Republic.

He gave the warning Friday in Abuja at a symposium on International Humanitarian Law and Armed Conflicts: An African Perspective by the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC).

Ozekhome said Nigeria should beware of any action that could lead to a crisis as it might affect Nigerians.

He said Nigeria did not have the moral right to go to Niger Republic to confront them or dictate their affairs for them because, “When Nigeria went through all its coup crises, be they peaceful and bloody coups, where were the international community to come and intervene?”

According to him, if nobody came to Nigeria to dictate how its affairs would be run, then there was no need for Nigeria through ECOWAS to go and interfere in Niger Republic’s affairs.

He noted that it would not be wise for Nigeria to engage in war with the Niger Republic which shared a boundary with about seven states in Northern Nigeria.

On his part, Nigeria’s Head of Diplomatic Mission of IHRC, Amb Duru Hezekiah, said the commission had worked globally to promote the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights among countries, particularly troubled spots.

While launching the book he authored: “International Humanitarian Law and Armed Conflicts: An African Perspective”, he said it was quite timely for the current situation in troubled spots in Africa.