Murder Of Eunice Olawale Resurrects At U.S African Christian Summit On Peace, Security And Synergy

By Baron Ike
One year after the brutal deliberate killing of a Nigerian Christian woman, Eunice Olawale, by her Muslim neighbours in the nation’s capital, the authorities are yet to bring the suspects to justice.
Eunice was murdered at Kubwa area of Abuja by some Muslim faithful who were opposed to her Christian evangelism on July 9, 2016.
Following her murder, some Human Rights Lawyers wrote the Attorney General of the Federation seeking to have the suspects prosecuted after the police successfully investigated the matter and isolated the suspects who perpetrated the act.
The letter to the Attorney General was written by Ikeazor Akaraiwe from the Law Chambers of Akaraiwe & Associates on October 21, 2016 and was duly acknowledged at the AG’s office. The Chambers was briefed by former minister of Education who is an associate of the deceased, Oby Ezekwesili.
But one year after, the government is yet to take a decision on the request by the private lawyers.
The matter was one of the issues discussed at a recent Pan-African Summit on Peace, Security and Synergy where stakeholders and delegates comprising authorities in religious, political, security, conflict, legal affairs gathered in Washington D.C. to X-ray issues of killings, kidnappings, rapes, forceful conversion, and social injustices by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen across the globe.
The summit was hosted by African Christians in Diaspora.
The killing of Eunice came as an appendix, but attracted so much attention due to the failure of the authorities to prosecute the case expeditiously.
Emmanuel Ogebe of the US Nigeria Law Group Justice for Jos Project, Washington USA said concerning Eunice: “Nigeria’s government has failed to grant permission to human rights lawyers to prosecute the individuals who admitted murdering Eunice on July 9, 2016.
“Under Nigerian law, private lawyers can request the Attorney General to prosecute a crime, and if he chooses not to, and request permission to privately prosecute the crime.
“To mark the one year anniversary of Eunice’s murder, the letter to the Attorney General of Nigeria is being released to the press for the first time. Eunice was a member of the Redeemed Church, a denomination in which Nigeria’s acting president is an ordained minister.
“Failure to protect in Nigeria is compounded by failure to prosecute heaping injustice upon injustice. This cannot make for peaceful coexistence in a country bedeviled by religious tensions. The justice imperative is a predicate for peace and injustice is the fountain for violence.
“The killers are not faceless terrorists and Nigeria has no excuse for not prosecuting nor permitting private attorneys to prosecute those behind this heinous crime in the heart of the nation’s capital. As Dr. King said ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ ”
According to Prof. Emmanuel Emenyonu, Chair, Organising Committee, Media Inquires, far reaching decisions were taken at the summit going by the recommendations which include:
1.Strongly condemns the atrocities and destruction of human lives and properties of innocent non-combatant Christians, ethnic/religious minorities and moderate Muslims in its entirety by violent extremist non-state actors.
2. Strongly asserts that enough is enough of the callous religious discrimination by certain African governments and institutions via official obstruction, imprisonment, employment discrimination, support/impunity for perpetrators of violence and failure to protect Christians and the oppressed.
3. Will engage with the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, African Union, individual States and relevant actors to address, mitigate and end further escalations of these apocalyptic attacks that in recent times claimed more lives in Africa from terrorism than anywhere else.
4. Will develop strategic short, medium, and long-term plans to help the African masses and set up pragmatic structures and systems to respond appropriately in concert with other entities.
5. Calls on all Christians and peace-loving people world-wide to step up and support efforts such as activation of sophisticated early warning systems to alert targeted communities, to mitigate the impact of terrorism till peace reigns in Africa.
6. Calls on the international community to scale up counter terrorism and humanitarian crisis responses in Africa which currently lag behind the Mideast responses.
7. Will engage the media, faith communities and policy makers at all levels to bring deserved attention to the plight of victims of Islamist terrorism in Africa.
8. Calls on Africans in Diaspora and friends of Africa to act individually and concertedly to bring about positive transformation on the continent. The time to stand up for the soul of Africa is now.
“All it takes for evil to triumph is that good persons do nothing” (Edmund Burke, 1729-1797).
There were also post -summit developments which the delegates commended and noted such as:
9. French president Emmanuel Macron for his commitment to the Sahel 5 counter terrorism coalition including his two visits to Africa since coming to office and urge the inclusion of anglophone countries in the coalition
10. US Vice President Pence for rightly acknowledging Islamist terrorism for what it is and recognizing persecution in Nigeria during his recent remarks at the Billy Graham Summit on Persecution
11. Nigeria’s Acting President Osinbajo’s remarks to the AU summit that Africa must confront existential threats facing it
12. The USA for pledging additional funding to Africa at the G-20 Summit