With a loud condemnation and rejection, the foremost Civil Rights Advocacy Group: – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has compared the reported 2-months lifeline handed to terrorists in Zamfara to surrender or be crushed to that of a ‘father who has the capacity to free his daughter from the dungeon of rapists but reached a truce with the rapists to let them rape her for another two months’.
HURIWA said the report of the two months deadline is both scandalous and treasonous wondering what then is the essence of the extant laws against crimes and criminality in Nigeria.
Besides, the Rights group said under extant anti-terror law there is no provision for any sort of deadline from government to terrorists but the intendment of the law is for the government to decisively deal with terrorists threatening the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
“It is unheard of that the owner of the house that is invaded by thieves is seen permitting the invaders to remain for some periods before he decides how to recover his assets from the invading thieves. This report of some kind of a deadline from the President to terrorists or those the government rebaptized as ‘armed bandits’ is as ridiculous as it is absolutely grotesque, and totally unacceptable “.
HURIWA therefore thinks it amounts to a policy of appeasement for the commander-in chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to permit the terrorists to roam freely for two months before the necessary actions supported by law can be activated to cleanse up Nigeria of armed non- state actors kidnapping, maiming and killing the citizens for years now.
In a media statement jointly authorised by the National Coordinator; Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the Director, National Media Affairs; Miss Zainab Yusuf said it is unconstitutional for the President of Nigeria to be in any sort of political communion or to reach any kind of accord with terrorists and law breakers by way of allowing them some period of time to end their criminality just as the Rights group said this is a violation of section 5 (1) (a) and (b) of the constitution which obliges president Buhari to enforce all the laws necessary to rid Nigeria of criminals thus:
“Section 5. – (1) Subject to the provision of this constitution, the executive power of the federation- (a) Shall be vested in the president and may, subject as aforesaid and to the provisions of any law made by the National Assembly, be exercised by him either directly or through the Vice-president and Minsters of the Government of the Federation or officers in the public service of the Federation; and (b) Shall extend to the execution and maintenance of this Constitution, all laws made by the National Assembly and to all matters with respect to which the National Assembly has, for the time being, power to make laws”.
HURIWA said what these incoherent policies against terrorists by the government represents is that President Muhammadu Buhari has run out of any kind of ideas to combat the crimes of kidnapping and mass killings tearing down the walls of Nigeria and rapidly turning the Country to one big market place of impunity and criminality.
HURIWA recalled that in his broadcast last night, the Zamfara governor said he undertook a four-day working visit to Abuja to brief President Buhari and other critical stakeholders on the security situation in his state.
The Rights group said the media quoted the Zamfara governor; Alhaji Matawale as saying that: “In my discussion with President Muhammadu Buhari and the security higher commands in Abuja, it was resolved that 6,000 additional troops will be deployed to complement the effort of other security forces in tackling the security challenges in the state.
“The troops will soon arrive in the state for their operations and we are grateful to the federal government. The president has agreed to a time frame within which the recalcitrant bandits should surrender their weapons and key into our peace initiative…The peace deal initiated by my administration has recorded successes including the disarmament, securing the release of hundreds of kidnapped persons, reopening of markets and the resumption of other economic activities across the state.”
HURIWA condemns these soft approaches to the rising challenges of insecurity and the breakdown of the Rule of law in most parts of Nigeria just as the Rights group said the President Muhammadu Buhari should find a solution to the rising wave of terrorism or he relinquish office and allow a much robustly competent person to steer the ship of State away from the doldrums of anarchy and doom.
HURIWA also recalled the story just received that many have been reportedly feared dead as terror bandits on Wednesday attacked commuters plying the Benin- Sagamu road.
HURIWA said it was gathered that the armed bandits who shot sporadically in the air killed a lot of people including passengers in a luxurious bus. The driver of an interstate bus (Young Shall Grow) was also killed.
The Rights group said sources say indigenes living in the area dumped the bodies of the victims in army vans at a Military camp stationed nearby while the soldiers fled their posts to avoid the situation degenerating into violence.
The Rights group said the government must do something extremely urgent to use the extant law and muster all lawful forces within its reach to crush all armed terrorists tormenting Nigerians in all parts of the Country just as the Rights group said the consequences of doing nothing to end this spectre of terrorism and violence by armed non state actors is that the Country may snowball into imminent collapse.
