Convention of Civil Societies (CCSs) have raised the alarm over a menace to Nigeria’s nationwide safety following what it stated is a current surge in peddling of faux information and blackmails towards authorities officers.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, chairperson of CCSs and coordinator, Civil–Navy Cooperation (CIMICO), Adams Otakwu, particularly stated the resurgent development has been focused at heads of ministries, departments and businesses, army chiefs, heads of safety, and intelligence businesses, and famend personal residents.
Though he declined to offer particular situations, Otakwu stated, “these pretend information and blackmails vary from allegations of huge corruption, cash laundering, gross abuse of workplace, operating of personal corporations, failure to declare property opposite to Half 1 of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), and alleged violation of the Armed Forces of Nigeria Harmonized Phrases and Situations of Service (HTACOS) for Officers 2017.
“Earlier this 12 months (exactly on January thirty first), we held a vital Nationwide Spherical Desk with authorities ministries, departments and businesses, armed forces, safety and intelligence businesses, civil societies, and the media on the Nationwide Human Rights Fee Abuja, throughout which we launched the Nationwide Pretend Tracker to deal with this grave concern, and the success has had far reaching impression.
“Nevertheless, there’s a resurgence of the development on focused at Heads of MDAs of Authorities, Navy Chiefs, Heads of Safety, and Intelligence Businesses, and Famend Personal Residents.
“The blackmailers typically collude with inner components who volunteer official secrets and techniques in a bid to unseat their principals.”
Giving perception on the extent blackmailers have gone to hold out their act, he stated, they negotiate for profitable contracts, job placements, or appointments, noting that victims are additional harassed by petitions filed on the Nationwide Meeting.
“This heinous and harmful development poses a big menace to nationwide safety and growth.”
Calling on the Nationwide Meeting to concentrate to those developments, he stated “we urge the Nationwide Meeting to concentrate on such deceptive and malicious petitions and to behave in one of the best curiosity of nationwide safety and growth, as pretend information and blackmails haven’t any place in our structure.”
CCSs lambasted the irresponsible and doubtful teams that acted in violation of the Freedom of Data (FOI) Act.
“We are going to activate actions for the intelligence neighborhood to instantly examine these components, their registration standing, board of trustees, and actions.
“Moreover, we will not hesitate to call and disgrace these inner components with whom they collude in numerous MDAs, Armed Forces, Safety Businesses, and different establishments of Authorities.
“Civil Societies the world over signify how public life ought to perform inside and between societies by advocacies and to not be concerned in pretend information, blackmail, and different reckless actions that tarnish the picture of real and progressive civil societies.”
CCSs nevertheless stated it’s going to maintain its 2nd nationwide spherical desk on pretend information and blackmail of presidency and non-governmental workplace holders in Abuja this month.