24th February, 2012
A human rights group and also a non-governmental organisation, Veteran Groups for Operation Clean Crusade, VGOCC has claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan recently violated the constitution of Nigeria by his illegal deployment of soldiers to Lagos and as such he should be impeached.
In a statement signed by the group’s national coordinator, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman and general secretary, Abioye Abass, it observed that Nigeria’s constitution which Jonathan swore to uphold states that the role of soldiers are to defend the nation from external aggression and maintaining its territorial integrity.
The rights group said where there is a perceived threat to internal security, the President can only deploy soldiers after seeking and getting approval of the National Assembly.
“In the case of the deployment of soldiers to Lagos in the height of the recent fuel hike protests, Jonathan neither sought not received the approval of the National Assembly. His action was therefore a breach of the constitution and constituted an impeachable offence,” the group said.
According to VGOCC, police officers like DCP Tunde Sobulo, ACP Noah Adekansoyin and policemen from Area ‘F’ Command in Ikeja, Lagos deserved to be dismissed from the Nigeria Police because of the condemnable roles they played during the fuel hike crisis of last month.
The group condemned and described as barbaric the action of the police officers and their men who tear-gased protesters and prominent Nigerians including Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and Nigeria Medical Association, NMA officers and members.
The group therefore demands that the National Assembly should impeach President Jonathan while the police officers should also be dismissed by the Nigeria Police Service Commission for their acts which are inimical to the constitution of Nigeria.
—Amos Fabiyi