Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, lHURIWA, has said it is shocked that up till now, the Armed Forces have deliberately refused to crush terrorists, who are being tagged ‘bandits’ in the North West region of Nigeria.
“We regret to observe that these terrorists who are mostly ethnic Fulani same ethnicity with all the heads of the internal security institutions are still operating freely in Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara and Katsina and have killed scores of citizens only in the last few days,” HURIWA said in a statement signed by its coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko and made available to DAILY POST on Monday.
The group wondered why the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, has failed to carry out his primary responsibility of protection of lives and properties of citizens.
Furthermore, HURIWA cited the Global Terrorism Index (2019) which ranked Nigeria as the third-worst nation prone to terrorism with no improvement since 2017.
The group noted that asides insurgency (such as Boko Haram and Islamic State in Western African Province, ISWAP), banditry, kidnapping and secessionist violence are pushing Nigeria towards the brink of collapse.
The group underlined the fact that many citizens are calling for the resignation of Buhari for “failing” to secure the country.
“For the past six years, the insecurity across Nigeria has worsened beyond the Boko Haram insurgency. Virtually all parts of Nigeria are currently battling one form or another of violent crimes, evidence that the president has failed to keep his promise on security.”
According to HURIWA, many of the populace no longer believe the President, while many others rather feel the opposite about his positive self-assessment.
The analysis showed that insecurity affects economic growth by drying-out investments, increases unemployment and dwindles government revenue, amongst others. Despite these effects, government capital expenditure on internal security did not grow astronomically to match the hydra-headed problem.
A prominent Islamic scholar, Sheik Murtala Sokoto, described those still praising Buhari as liars and hypocrites.
Even within President Buhari’s own party, many people who worked for his victory now complain openly that the mission that brought them to power might have been willfully abandoned.
DAILY POST can report that terrorists, who are referred to as bandits, have continued to operate freely in the North West Nigeria despite the shutting down of telecommunications In some areas in the region by the Federal Government.
Just yesterday, there were cases of abduction of commuters travelling the Abuja-Kaduna highway by gunmen suspected to be bandits.
Dailypost
