By John Ugo, Awka
A right activist and legal practitioner, Ogbangwa Douglas Esq has issued seven day ultimatum to the Nigeria Army to stop what he described as ethnic and class profiling of passengers travelling along Southeast roads across the nation.
He also frowned at the unprofessional and dehumanizing conduct allegedly being exhibited by soldiers of Nigeria Army stationed at various checkpoints who profile passenegers in public vehicles and make them to walk pass the checkpoints across states in the Southeast geo political zone of the nation.
Ogbankwa who stated this on Tuesday after a harrowing experience while passing one of such checkpoints called on the top hierarchy of the nation’s military to prevail on the soldiers to put an end to such dehumanizing action.
He noted that activities of the Nigeria Army smacked of ethnic and class profiling by asking all passengers travelling on commercial vehicles to step down and walk at every the checkpoint while occupants of private vehicles are allowed to pass same checkpoint unchecked.
According to the vocal lawyer, the exercise by the soldiers was mostly noticed at their checkpoint at Ihiala local government area of Anambra state.
He said, “I just passed the Army Check Point , at Ihiala ,Anambra State and I am perplexed by the way the Nigerian Army conducts Ethnic profiling and class profiling by asking all passengers travelling on commercial vehicles to walk on getting to the check point, while those with private vehicles are saluted and given official complements inside their Air Conditioned vehicles not knowing whether or not, they have guns in their boot.”
He lamented that “This only happens in Igbo land in the Southeast and it is completely unacceptable.”
“I demand that the Nigerian Army stops forth with this ethnic and class profiling of maltreating Igbos on that route, failure of which we shall Institute a class action for and on behalf all persons traveling through the check point in Ihiala in Anambra State.”
He said that, “Section 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 8 As Amended ), by the 4th Alteration, states that no person shall be descriminated against based on tribe, race, religion ,gender , creed or circumstance of birth.
The Nigerian army is hereby given seven days to stop their discriminatory ethnic Profiling , Class Profiling and maltreatment of the Igbos plying that road .
“All other components of the Country, should also condemn same .An injury to one , is an injury to all.”