The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the appointment of the immediate past service chiefs as ambassadors-designate by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday is a ploy to shield them from investigation over alleged killing of innocent Nigerians and crimes against humanity under their watch.
Buhari on Thursday forwarded the names of the former service chiefs he sacked last week to the senate for confirmation as non-career ambassadors.
The are Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, and Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, as non-career ambassadors.
The PDP in a statement by the spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said their appointments are “sacrilegious and a horrible assault on the sensibility of Nigerians that the APC government is seeking to use ambassadorial appointments as a desperate measure to secure diplomatic immunity for the former commanders and protect them from investigation, arrest and possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the atrocities committed against innocent Nigerians under their command.”
The party said the former service chiefs should be made to answer for the alleged crime against humanity under their command, including reported cases of extra-judicial execution, killing of unarmed protesters at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos, rape, illegal arrest as well as detention and torture of innocent Nigerians, the APC administration is rather plotting their escape.
It urged the Senate to eschew all partisan considerations and stand on the side of the people by rejecting the demand by the President to confirm them as ambassadors.
