PEACE CORPS AND ITS TRADUCERS

It is indeed becoming increasingly glaring that the enemies of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) are getting more desperate and bolder with the passage of each day, deploying everything in their arsenal to ensure that its survival is atrophied. In this demonic quest, no amount of lie is considered too ‘expensive’ to peddle against the corps, so much so that even some respected media houses have lent their support to these purveyors of ‘heresy’ against the corps.

Reading through some of these cheap lies that are being recycled about PCN, it is obvious even to a drooling imbecile that they are simply voices of Jacob, but the hands obviously belong to Esau (read enemies of the corps). Some of these publications (nay editorials) in question are simply a rehash of the baseless allegations levelled against the corps by the police, which had earlier been appropriately responded to in the national dailies.

The truth is that most of the purveyors of this recycled falsehood against the corps are either not properly briefed on the core mandates of the corps or they simply decided to pander to the inordinate wishes of the enemies of the corps for reasons best known to them.

For purpose of clarity, the core mandates of the corps include: to develop, empower and provide gainful employment to the youths in other to facilitate peace, volunteerism, community services, neighborhood watch, nation-building and other related matters.

For anybody or organisation to give kudos to the police for violating the sanctity of the corps in such an unholy manner speaks volumes about the despicable level we have sunk as a nation.

Just like the invasion of homes of some judicial officers in the middle of the night by operatives of the DSS last year received nationwide condemnation; similarly, the recent reckless intrusion into the premises of the Peace Corps of Nigeria by some security agencies and the mass arrest of officers of the corps in the wake of the invasion, stands condemnable in the court of public opinion. What makes the entire issue really worrisome is that in spite of the transparent nature of the corps, some arm-chair critics have found a pastime in constantly making reference to the hitherto opposition of the police and the Department of State Services to the hearing of the Peace Corps Bill in the National Assembly, which col- lapsed like a pack of cards in the face of superior arguments in support of the corps.

The point must be stressed and even orchestrated that those canvassing for the proscription of the corps have failed miserably. According to late Moshood Abiola, “you don’t abort a pregnancy that has already been delivered.’’ In the same vein, any attempt to halt the inexorable movement of the corps at this time that both chambers of the National Assembly have passed the bill to give it a statutory backing will hit the brick wall.

To underscore the fact that the police invasion of the corporate headquarters of the corps was premeditated, it is necessary at this juncture to remind Nigerians of the several judicial victories the corps had won against the police. Even the allegation that the corps is acting like a paramilitary organisation is simply false, because its officers do not bear arms and neither do they have the power to arrest, investigate or prosecute. In it 18 years plus of existence, the corps has never claimed to be or acted like a paramilitary organisation. So, why is this allegation being continuously recycled?

To prove that its existence is legal and does not constitute a security threat to the nation, a Federal High Court of Nigeria in 2010 made a categorical pronouncement on the legal status of the corps in the matter of Incorporated Trustees of Peace Corps of Nigeria and four Others v Inspector-General of Police and three Others in Suit NO:FHC/ABJ/CS/231/2010. It is interesting to note also that suit, which was decided in favour of the corps and has not been appealed till date, has the National Security Adviser as a party to it.

Similarly, in another matter of Incorporated Trustees of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and 6 others v the State Security Service (SSS) and 2 others in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/481/2012, judgment was delivered on April 22, 2013 by a court of competent jurisdiction in favour of the corps.

In another suit NO: FHC/ABJ/CS/613/07, the Federal High Court of Nigeria expressly stated that the Peace Corps of Nigeria cannot be constantly harassed. In the same vein, an official letter dated April 25, 2008 and titled Police Investigation Report. re: Request for Police Clearance/ or extract of Investigation Report, exonerated the corps from criminal activities and that it does not constitute any security threat to the nation.