A bunch, Owerri Indigenous Folks, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nationwide Meeting, the United Nations, African Union, the Worldwide Prison Courtroom (ICC), Pope Francis and the president of the Catholic Bishops Convention, amongst others, over what it described as “ethnic cleaning” of the great folks of Owerri, Imo State…..CONTINUE READING
The group alleged that each one “holy websites” that mark the customary id of the indigenous folks of Owerri had been destroyed, requesting that the petition ought to be handled with the urgency it deserved. It offered proof to again it’s claims.
A petition signed by the chief of the group, Dr. Phillip Njemanze, mentioned: “We, the indigenous folks of Owerri, have made important contributions to the variety and richness of human civilization and tradition, which represent the frequent heritage of mankind. We, the Amawom Welfare Affiliation, are the custodians of the ruling home of Owerri Historical Kingdom. We’re writing to attract the eye of all UN member states to the persevering with violations of the rights of Indigenous Folks of Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, in contravention of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (61/295), 2007.
“The Owerri indigenous folks have suffered from historic injustices, together with colonization and dispossession of our lands, territories, and sources, which have prevented us from exercising our proper to growth in accordance with our personal wants and pursuits.
“Now we have shaped a group of individuals’s motion to realize political, financial, social, and cultural progress and eradicate all sorts of discrimination and oppression in Nigeria. We firmly imagine that giving our folks the ability to regulate the developments that have an effect on their lands, territories, and sources will assist us protect and strengthen our establishments, cultures, and traditions.
“Furthermore, it should allow us to advertise our growth in alignment with our aspirations and necessities. We admire that the UN Normal Meeting has urged member states to adjust to and successfully implement all their obligations relating to indigenous peoples beneath worldwide devices, particularly these associated to human rights. The UN additionally encourages member states to have interaction in session and cooperation with the involved indigenous peoples in fulfilling these obligations.
“Owerri is an city space in Nigeria, and in accordance with the Nigeria Land Use Act of 1978, Part 2(1)(a) and (b), land are both beneath the management and administration of the Governor of the State with a ‘Land Use and Allocation committee’ as an advisory physique, or beneath the management and administration of the native authorities during which the land is positioned with ‘the Land Allocation
Advisory Committee’. Owerri is among the 4 Municipal Native Authorities
Areas in Nigeria, together with Calabar, Kano, and Abuja. Below the 1999 Structure, the municipal authorities is headed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) within the case of the newly created Abuja Municipal Native Authorities Space, in all different instances, by the normal paramount ruler of the Municipal Native Authorities Space.
“Due to this fact, the land in Owerri Municipal Space Council are beneath the management of the Owerri Municipal Authorities headed by His Royal Majesty, the Eze of Owerri. Sadly, the provisions of this Act have been misapplied, resulting in the dispossession of the indigenous folks of Owerri of their lands with out regard for his or her aspirations and desires. The successive Federal and Imo State governments of Nigeria have misapplied these provisions to the extent that they’ve utterly dispossessed the indigenous folks of Owerri of all their ancestral lands, which had been then reallocated to authorities officers, cronies, and land speculators, neglecting the wants of the Indigenous folks of Owerri.
“These actions of the Nigerian authorities contravene a number of sections of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“The forceful acquisition of Owerri group land has brought on Owerri
Indigenous Folks to be subjected to pressured assimilation and destruction of our tradition, in breach of Article 8 (1) • Owerri Indigenous Folks have been disadvantaged of our integrity as a definite folks, with their very own cultural values, language and ethnic identities, in breach of Article 8 (2a);
• Owerri Indigenous Folks have been dispossessed of their lands, territories and sources, in breach of Article 8 (2b);
• Owerri Indigenous Folks have been pressured to go away their dwelling lands and switch to different locations and cities due to an absence of property of their dwelling place, in breach of Article 8 (2c);
• Owerri Indigenous Folks have been forcefully built-in with different alien communities by advantage of the appropriation of their dwelling land to different folks, in breach of Article 8 (second);
• Owerri Indigenous Folks have been demonized as ‘backward, knowledgeable, and unprogressive’ by authorities propaganda for claiming the precise to their land, in breach of Article 8 (2e).
“As a number one member of the United Nations, Nigeria is sure to uphold the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (61/295), 2007. This declaration represents a set of agreed-upon ideas by the contracting states, and is mostly thought-about to be autonomous from the home legal guidelines of particular person nations with regard to its utility and interpretation. You will need to word that worldwide agreements embodied in conventions or treaties are thought-about autonomous, because the excessive contracting events have agreed to be sure by their provisions, that are due to this fact superior to home laws. Thus, any home laws in battle with the conference is deemed void.
“The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (61/295), 2007, beneath Article 41, requires that ‘organs and specialised businesses of the United Nations system and different intergovernmental organizations shall contribute to the complete realization of the provisions of this Declaration by way of the mobilization, inter alia, of monetary cooperation and technical help. methods and technique of guaranteeing participation of indigenous peoples on points affecting them shall be established’.
“We hereby request a Plan of Motion, which ought to embrace the next: 1. The Workplace of the UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to lead a UN investigative panel to look at the violations of human rights in opposition to the Owerri Indigenous Folks.
“The OHCHR, in collaboration with the Federal and Imo State Governments of Nigeria, ought to act expeditiously to guard the rights of the Owerri Indigenous Folks over their ancestral lands. This may be carried out by instantly placing an finish to the Imo State Authorities’s dispossession of the Owerri Indigenous Folks’s lands. The Indigenous Folks of Owerri have Indigenous Folks of Owerri have been displaced from their ancestral lands, ensuing within the destruction of their nice cultural heritage. The Owerri Indigenous Folks ought to be given again their lands with the precise of occupancy. The holy lands of specific curiosity are designated by Imo State Authorities as: (A) The Market Place known as Eke Ukwu/Ekenwa; (B) Nkworiutara (Restoration); (C) Okpukpeikpe (Space Okay); (D) Mbari; (E) gb z ukwu Njemanze (3R Residential Format); (F) Oke ha (Restoration); (G) Azu-Elu (Ekwema Residential Format).
“The OHCHR ought to urge the Federal Authorities of Nigeria to adjust to the provisions of the 1999 Structure. The indigenous folks of the traditional kingdoms in Nigeria have been subjected to breaches of their rights by the Federal Authorities of Nigeria. The 1999 Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria establishes Owerri-Municipal, Calabar-Municipal, and Kano Municipal Native Governments as “municipal/autonomous” areas of self governance for the indigenous peoples of the pre-colonial historic kingdoms. These kingdoms weren’t conquered by the British Empire in the course of the colonial period and had been granted “municipality standing” in perpetuity for self-governance beneath an armistice settlement. The 1999 Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria enshrined the idea of “municipality” after the nation gained independence. The aim was to guard the lands and cultural heritage of the indigenous folks of historic kingdoms, together with Owerri municipal. “Nevertheless, the Federal Authorities has ignored this constitutional provision and allowed the Imo State Authorities to unlawfully take over the rights of self-governance over the lands of the indigenous folks of Owerri Municipal. In line with the 1999 Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the King of Owerri from the Njemanze Royal Dynasty is the pinnacle of Authorities of Owerri Municipal. The king governs alongside elected councilors of the Owerri Municipal Native Authorities Space (LGA). The OHCHR ought to act rapidly to guard the human rights of the indigenous folks of Owerri, their ancestral lands, and world cultural heritage websites equivalent to Eke ukwu Owerri, Mbar, gb z Ukwu, NkwOri tara, Okpukpeikpe, and different lands affected by the present confrontation.
“The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to urge strict compliance with Article 4, which might grant the Owerri Indigenous Folks the precise to self-determination, together with the precise to autonomy and self-governance in issues regarding the disposition of lands in designated particular areas throughout the Owerri Municipal Native Authorities Space.
“The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to urge strict compliance with Article 19, which might require the Imo State Authorities to seek the advice of and cooperate in good religion with the Owerri Indigenous Folks by way of their very own consultant establishments so as to receive their free, prior, and knowledgeable consent earlier than adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that will have an effect on them.
“The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to urge strict compliance with Article 26(1), which might grant the Owerri Indigenous Folks the precise to their lands, territories, and sources, which they’ve historically owned, occupied, or in any other case used or acquired. The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to urge strict compliance with Article 26(2) to allow the Indigenous Folks of Owerri to train their proper to personal, use, develop, and management the lands, territories, and sources they possess by advantage of conventional possession, occupation, or use, in addition to these acquired by way of different means.
“The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to urge strict compliance with Article 26(3), which requires the Imo State Authorities to legally acknowledge and shield the lands, territories, and sources of the Owerri
Indigenous Folks. This recognition ought to be carried out with due respect for his or her customs, traditions, and land tenure techniques. In Owerri/Igbo custom these lands are known as ALA OBI which isn’t sellable or transferable, and dates again to the Biblical traditions of the Jews (see 1 Kings 21:3.However Naboth mentioned to Ahab, ‘The LORD forbid that I ought to offer you my ancestral inheritance.
“The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to urge strict compliance with Article 27, which requires the Imo State Authorities to determine and implement a good, impartial, neutral, open, and clear course of together with the Owerri Indigenous Folks. This course of ought to give due recognition to the Owerri Indigenous Peoples’ legal guidelines, traditions, customs, and land tenure techniques to acknowledge and adjudicate the rights of the folks pertaining to their lands, territories, and sources, together with these historically owned or occupied. The Owerri Indigenous Folks have the precise to take part on this course of. “The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to urge strict compliance with Article 28(1) to make sure that the Indigenous Folks of
Owerri are granted the precise to hunt redress, which can embrace restitution or, if that isn’t attainable, simply, honest, and equitable compensation for the lands, territories, and sources they’ve historically owned, occupied, or used, and owned or occupied. The Owerri Indigenous Folks have the precise to take part on this course of. “The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ought to urge strict compliance with Article 28(1) to make sure that the Indigenous Folks of
Owerri are granted the precise to hunt redress, which can embrace restitution or, if that isn’t attainable, simply, honest, and equitable compensation for the lands, territories, and sources they’ve historically owned, occupied, or used, and which have been confiscated, taken, occupied, used, or broken with out their free, prior, and knowledgeable consent.
“The UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also needs to urge strict compliance with Article 28(2), which stipulates that, until in any other case freely agreed upon by the people involved, compensation ought to be offered within the type of lands, territories, and sources which might be equal in high quality, dimension, and authorized standing, or in financial compensation or different applicable redress.
“The World Heritage Basis ought to work with different UN our bodies with experience on archeological exploration with floor penetrating radar to check the areas I’ve outlined as Holy Websites in Owerri cited in references [Njemanze 2021, 2022].
“We respectfully request fast motion on our petition…..CONTINUE READING
