*Says failure to arrest killers of over 30 soldiers in Niger state since August, a monumental shame
Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has described as abominable and absolutely incongruous, Federal Government’s “conspiratorial silence over the shocking discovery, by the Abia state government, of over 50 decomposing bodies in a forest next to the Lokpanta cattle market in Abia State”.
HURIWA, in a statement by Emmanuel Onwubiko, its National Coordinator, which argued that “the unspeakable and regrettable silence and the failure of the federal government to take steps to initiate forensic investigations of this despicable crimes of mass killings of citizens of Nigeria, is a spectacular failure of the President’s moral duty of care and the legal obligations imposed on the government whose primary duty is to maintain law and order and to safeguard the well-being and security of lives abd property of the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
The group believes that aside the moral and legal obligations on the president to ensure the safety of citizens of the country in all parts of the federation, such an abominable discovery of mass deposits of scores of citizens executed by outlaws, demonstrates a failure of intelligence and abysmal failure on the part of the security forces under the direct command and control of the President to secure lives and property of Nigerians and everyone living in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
On 30th October 2023 it was reported that the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, had disclosed that 20 decomposing bodies and skeletons were discovered by security operatives during a raid of forests around the Lokpanta Cattle Market in the Umunneochi axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, adding that another 50 bodies were also found around the market, while the payment of ransom to suspected kidnappers was equally traced to the market.
HURIWA recalled that governor Otti disclosed this totally abhorrent information during the second edition of his monthly media chat in Umuahia the state capital just as he rightly vowed that no inch of the state land mass would be left for criminals in line with his administration’s commitment to protect the lives of every citizen and visitor to the state.
It recalled that the governor insisted that the resolve of the state to make the cattle market a daily market was not targeted at any particular tribe in the country, but rather it was aimed at revamping the security architecture of the market and its host community.
HURIWA which applauded the Abia state administration for adopting a holistic measure to stamp out coordinated criminality and terrorism of kidnappers and killings orchestrated by alleged armed herders, also asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the heads of the security agencies and top forensic investigators in joint partnership with the justice ministry of Abia state, to comb round the killing fields and carry out science-led probe to determine the remote and immediate causes of these mass killings, seek for broader information on the identities of the casualties and if practicable trace any evidence that can link the investigative team to the killers.
It insisted that the clearest evidence of a failed nation state is when the central government becomes very comfortable with criminality of immense proportions and tolerates criminals by not willing to take steps to bring killers to justice which breeds impunity and lawlessness.
Besides, HURIWA has called for investigation of the activities of the cattle traders whose shops were identified to be avenues for negotiation and collection of ransom from relations of kidnapped victims in Lokpanta which is a major highway linking Enugu, Abia and Imo states.
HURIWA further wondered why the Federal government is yet to brief Nigerians about what steps have been adopted to bring to justice, the terrorists who on August 17th reportedly killed scores of soldiers in Niger state.
HURIWA recalled that the military high command revealed on in August 2023 that no fewer than three officers and 22 soldiers were killed during the Sunday bandits’ ambush on troops in Niger State.
HURIWA urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to inform Nigerians about the steps adopted to bring the killers of these soldiers to justice just as the Rights group described as shameful the fact that both soldiers and civilians in their hundreds have been killed since the current administration came on board, but the law enforcement agencies have failed woefully to bring perpetrators of these dastardly crimes of terrorism to justice or take decisive justice to the killers.
