While in the US, president Buhari criticized the Leahy Law - a U.S. human rights law that prohibits the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights.
Reacting, the sponsor of the Law, US Senator Patrick Leahy (the law is named after him) said Buhari is misguided in his criticism as the law, which has so far stopped the US govt from assisting Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram, can't be blamed for the atrocities committed by the 'murderers and rapists in the Nigerian military'.
- “It is well-documented by the
State Department and by
respected human rights
organisations that Nigerian army
personnel have, for many years,
engaged in a pattern and
practice of gross violations of
human rights against the
Nigerian people and others,
including summary executions
of prisoners, indiscriminate
attacks against civilians, torture,
forced disappearances and rape.
Rarely have the perpetrators
been prosecuted or punished.
This abusive conduct not only
violates the laws of war, it
creates fear and loathing among
the Nigerian people whose
support is necessary to defeat a
terrorist group like Boko
HaramPresident Buhari ignores
the undisputed fact that most
Nigerian army units have been
approved, under the Leahy Law,
for U.S. training and equipment.
Only those particular units
against which there is credible
evidence of the most heinous
crimes are ineligible for U.S. aid.
And even those units can again
become eligible if the Nigerian
Government takes effective
steps to bring the responsible
individuals to justice. I strongly
agree with President Buhari
about the need to defeat Boko
Haram, and I have supported
tens of millions of dollars in U.S.
aid to Nigeria for that purpose.
But rather than suggest that the
United States is at fault for not
funding murderers and rapists in
the Nigerian military, he should
face up to his own responsibility
to effectively counter Boko
Haram. He should direct his
attention to the Nigerian military,
and the Nigerian courts, and
clean up the units implicated in
such atrocities.” He said
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