The Amalgamated Youth Council of Nigeria has accused Amnesty International of recruiting young Nigerians into terrorist organisations.
The AYCN raised this alarm in an open letter to Nigerian parents and guardians by its President, Comrade Daniel J. Osagie, on Monday.
According to the group, AI, which is supposed to be a human rights organisation, has become a recruitment agent for terrorist groups such as Boko Haram/ISWAP and Islamic Movement of Nigeria to strengthen their already depleted ranks.
AYCN lamented that Nigerian youths had been deceived into signing for these organisations without knowledge of the potential implication.
While calling on all parents to scrutinize their children, the group, however, urged the youths to be wary of fanciful logos and manifestoes of organisations claiming to be pursuing youth development and intellectual advancement.
Below is the full text of the AYCN letter:
A Letter to Nigerian Parents/Youths
Dear Parents/Youths,
“Our Youths are being Recruited into Terrorist Organizations”
These are indeed trying times for the country with the activities of some organizations that do not mean well for the country. It is thus pertinent that we write this letter to you in the face of the myriad of challenges facing the country. As a first, Nigeria as a country belongs to all of us, and it behoves on us to see to its sustainable growth and development through our actions and inactions, and in the best of interests.
The Amalgamated Youth Council of Nigeria has been at the forefront of advocating for youth enlightenment programmes. This much has seen us liaise with various governmental agencies which have resulted in seminars, conferences and symposiums on the dangers of our youth undergoing indoctrination into terrorist groups by associating with organizations that do not mean well for our country.
We have held various sensitization programmes across the country that dwelled on the demerits of our youths belonging to some organizations whose ideology is rooted in deep hatred for the progress of the country.
The Amalgamated Youth Council of Nigeria over the years has identified some of these organizations and made adequate representation to the appropriate authorities in Nigeria to ensure that our youths are not indoctrinated to harmful ideologies.
Our concern mainly stems from the fact that most parents have neglected their role in providing that guidance to their wards and this has resulted in some organizations gaining control of our youthful population in furtherance of their evil plot against Nigeria.
One of such organizations is Amnesty International that is parading itself as an organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of human rights across the world.
It is no longer a secret that Amnesty International has done more harm than good to Nigeria through its various activities that have given terrorist and militant organizations in Nigeria such as Boko Haram/ISWAP, Indigenous People of Biafra, and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria the impetus to continue to wreak havoc in Nigeria.
It is such a sad tale that Amnesty International has been at the vanguard of covertly serving as a recruitment agency for these terrorist organizations, where hundreds of thousands of our youths have been deceived into signing for these organizations without knowing the implication of their actions.
The Amalgamated Youth Council is alarmed by this action; hence this passionate letter to our parents and youths. This letter is meant to serve the purpose of a wakeup call for our parents to wake up to their responsibilities before it gets too late.
This letter is urgent in every sense of it as Amnesty International is currently in overdrive in recruiting youths to swell the ranks of these terrorist organizations whose ranks have been depleted in recent times.
We are calling on all parents to scrutinize their children, and the associations that they keep as most of these organizations with a perceived global outlook are only masquerading to be in service to humanity. But in truth, they are the intellectual backbone of terrorist organizations.
If we are desirous of halting this trend, the time to act is now in the overall interest of our dear country and towards the sustenance of peace and tranquillity in Nigeria.
Our appeal in this letter is two-fold and directed to parents and youths. Our parents must begin the process of interacting with their children to instill a system where they must sanction their associations into any organization or group. Our parents must research thoroughly into organizations to understand their mission and vision beyond their face value.
Our youths must not be moved by fanciful logos and manifestos of organizations claiming to be pursuing youth development and intellectual advancement. They must ask critical questions as these are indeed trying times.
On a final note, the future of Nigeria would be jeopardized if our parents fail to act in this critical time. Our youths must live be circumspect and take up their responsibilities as future leaders. They should not be carried away by the lucre of now at the detriment of their future.
The Amalgamated Youth Council of Nigeria hopes this letter would be received in good faith and the interest of Nigeria.
