Uproar over Operation Positive Identification by the Army; Akinyemi, Falana Kick

By Uche Mbah

The Stop and Identify project of the Nigerian Army has faced unrelenting criticism since it was made public by the chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, recently. Even with the House of Representatives directing the Army to stay action on the project, Buratai insisted the project must go on.

The project is  billed to start on the first of November, 2019.

Already Lagos Lawyer and founder of SERAP, Femi Falana, has taken the Nigeria military to Court over the issue.

But former minister of Foreign affairs, Bolaji Akinyemi, has written an open letter to the President.

In a widely circulated letter, the former minister, who addressed his letter to the President, said that the fact that there are, according to the army, positive Identifications connotes negative identifications.

“You may wish to be informed, sir,” he wrote,  “that a privately registered company by the name BRICKS, has been circulating information on behalf of the Nigerian Army, with regard to the commencement of one “Operation Positive Identification” (OPI). The said circular was marked, “Security Advisory” and dated 24/10/2019. It informed Nigeria of the planned take over of our roads and by extension our communities by LARGE NUMBER OF UNIFORMED ARMY PERSONNEL. It further stated the need of residents across the country to move about with a valid (permit me to use the coded word of the operation), “POSITIVE” means of identification. Whatever that means!

According to him, the designer of the OPERATION, “without doubt, envisaged the possibility of ‘NEGATIVE’ identification.”

He linked the beginning of the exercise closely to the Judgement of the Supreme Court on the Presidential Appeal, and said it is tantamount to an army state as opposed to a police state. He also linked the exercise, which he described as army takeover of police duties, to the militarization of the elections of Kogi-and by extension, Bayelsa-state elections.

“It is pertinent sir, that you find time to urgently address the nation on the foregoing to clear the air on what constitutes ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ identification and ‘all legal directives’ by the army personnel”, he said.” This, of course, is the only way to guide against any inevitable state of anarchy this antidemocratic plot may orchestrate or engender…this issue bothers on a subtle declaration of a state of emergency and restrictions of freedom of citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it calls for urgent attention from you.”

Meanwhile, Lagos Lawyer and human rights Activists Femi Falana has taken the government to court, insisting that the project be stopped, since the police has the constitutional empowerment to handle internal crisis.

“There is no insurrection in every part of the country which the Nigeria police cannot contain to warrant the deployment of armed troops all over the country from November 1, 2019 to December 23, 2019.

“Neither the Constitution nor the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 LFN, 2004 has empowered the Nigeria Army to arrest any citizen who is not subject to service law.

“The 1st respondent (the Nigerian Army) under the leadership of the 2nd respondent is not empowered to take over police duties and the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces lacks the power to deploy members of the armed forces in the maintenance of internal security in any part of the country by virtue of Section 217 (a) (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.”

Nigerians have come down heavily on the military against the plan.