Insecurity: Take decisive action against terrorists – HURIWA to Buhari

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to stay in Nigeria and stop globetrotting.

HURIWA believes that staying put in the country would help the President put out effective law-based strategies to crush armed terrorists in the North of Nigeria.

Describing the frequent belated reactions and verbal condemnation of the serial terror attacks against civilian targets by President Buhari as intolerable distractions, HURIWA said the Constitution which makes the elected President the Commander-In-Chief clearly indicates it is legally obligatory and mandatory that he is not the ‘chief mourner’ of Nigeria.

The Rights group which condemned the delay by the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to issue the mandatory federal Gazette declaring the armed Fulani militia in the North West as terrorists in line with the unambiguous and direct pronouncement of the Federal High Court, Abuja division, said it defies human logic that the same Justice Minister took less than a minute to declare the unarmed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) a terrorist group soon after the then Chief Judge of the Federal High Court granted a late evening Ex parte order mandating the Federal government to so declare.

“We wonder what is keeping the Federal government from releasing the mandate by way of a legal gazette so the Armed forces can adequately respond to the unprecedented violence unleashed on Nigerians by the North West based Fulani armed bandits.

“Because of this deliberate delay in going after these terrorists, over 200 innocent citizens have been wasted including the over three dozen Christians killed in Southern Kaduna State at the weekend”.

In a statement signed by Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA reminded President Buhari of his Constitutional authority and mandate to deal decisively with terrorists.

The roles of a country’s armed forces are entrenched in her Constitution. The defence of the territorial integrity and other core interests of the nation form the major substance of such roles. Section 217-220 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria addresses the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“The army is big enough to offer protection to the land, nation and the country from any organized enemy. Defeating the country from enemies is one of the top duties of the Nigerian Army, and it has been like this since the creation of this body.

To perform any other duties mentioned in the National Assembly’s Act or as directed by the President.

“HURIWA is therefore urging President Buhari to spare Nigerians of his monotonous and periodic mourning statements from his media minders but instead should go after terrorists of all dimensions not minding their ethnic or religious affiliations because terrorists are common enemies who must never be patronised,” the statement said.