U.S. State Dept accused of enabling Islamists Boko Haram

by Leonardo Blair Newscast Media LAGOS—A Nigerian human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, has accused the U.S. Department of State of enabling Islamist militant group Boko Haram by mischaracterizing their actions in that country which have resulted in the death of more than 1,000 Christians and other civilians since 2012. Ogebe, special counsel for Justice for Jos is engaged at the International Criminal Court on crimes against humanity in Nigeria and is lead author of the 2012 report by Jubilee Campaign. He was also among a group of regional experts on Northern Nigeria and that country’s Middle Belt who drew attention to the pre-genocide occurring in those areas at a Congressional briefing in Washington, D.C., last Thursday. “Sadly the latest human rights report has taken it a step further with the State Department essentially advocating the establishment of Islamic law courts in Nigeria, a demand no one else in Nigeria is making, except the jihadist terrorists themselves,” explained Ogebe.

“One did not think it possible for the U.S. position to degenerate any further but there seems to be no depth that the State Department will not sink lower still to. Now they have gone from making ransom demands to making ideological demands consistent with the theology of Boko Haram,” he added. On Monday, CP contacted the Department of State for comment but was told the relevant spokesperson, Hilary Renner, was unavailable. The Jubilee Campaign was also expected to send the Department of State their analysis its recently released country report on Nigeria. continued