President Muhammadu Buhari’s Government has come under strong criticism from prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, over the worsening insecurity in the country.
Garba Shehu, President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity had earlier said that his Principal deserves credit for his efforts in tackling security issues in Nigeria, prompting the Human Right Group to challenge Shehu to embark on a road trip without security details from Abuja to Zamfara and Katsina and from Abuja to Lagos.
HURIWA, in a statement, said that the Presidential aide should cover his face in shame for talking down on the hundreds of innocent citizens wasted on Nigerian roads especially in the North West by terrorists in the last six years.
It stressed that the nation is in a pathetic State as regards insecurity, and for Shehu to make such statements shows he has no regard for human lives lost daily as a result of the lackadaisical and hypocritical approach of the Federal Government in addressing the issue.
Shehu had made this remarks while presenting a paper at the tenth year anniversary of Federal University Dutsin Ma (FUDMA) in Katsina State.
According to him, the Buhari administration is the only Government that has provided a workable solution to herder-farmer crisis
HURIWA recalled that Shehu, while presenting the paper, tagged ‘Fake news: Challenges of information management’, stated that it’s incorrect to assert that the Government has not, or is not doing anything to address insecurity.
According to him, the current administration led by Buhari is the only government of Nigeria since independence that has put forward a working solution to the herder-farmer challenges.
The Rights group said Buhari spokesman “lacks decorum and respect for the memories of hapless and innocent citizens whose lives were deliberately taken away by different armed non-state actors including, but not limited to the rampaging armed Fulani terrorists who have continued to escalate their terrorism and are unleashing unprecedented violence and bloodshed in parts of Plateau and Southern Kaduna State even as we write.”
HURIWA said it defies logic and commonsense to think that one of the key spokesmen of President Muhammadu Buhari “could be this insensitive and reckless to utter such words that insecurity has been brought to a manageable level when in actual fact the nearly 100 worshippers of Alheri Baptist Church in Kaduna kidnapped and ferried into the lawless Kaduna forests are still being held hostage and indeed the hostage takers and Fulani terrorists have just reportedly demanded over N88 million cash as ransom before these innocent citizens whose lives were jeopardised by the crass inability of the President to take effective measures to combat terrorists, would be freed in this 21 St century World and yet Garba Shehu the spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari is making such a reckless and senseless statement.”
The Group reminded Shehu that only a few days back, armed bandits who are indeed terrorists blocked the Abuja-Kaduna Road on Sunday afternoon and kidnapped many travellers. According to one of the travellers who escaped the abduction, the armed bandits blocked the road at Katari village at about 2pm and operated for more than an hour.
It added that another traveller told journalists that “We had to turn back when we heard the shooting of guns and parked some kilometers away from the scene. After two hours when we saw other vehicles coming from the other side, we continued our journey. Many travellers must have been kidnapped or escaped into the bush as we saw at least fifteen cars parked and empty when we passed the scene of the attack.”
HURIWA recalled that Katari village is one of the most notorious havens of kidnappers along Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Also, HURIWA recalled that terrorists waged unrelenting war against citizens travelling around the North West just as recently the proprietor of Famak British International schools with branches in Kaduna and Abuja Alhaji Sagir Hamida was killed by terrorists along the Abuja/Kaduna Highway just as Mr Atto who was a former Secretary to the Government of Zamfara State regained freedom in October after spending 32 days in the kidnapper’s den.
It also recalled that media reported that in this latest attack, at least one person was killed by the attackers where many were kidnapped. Others escaped abduction as many vehicles in which they were travelling were abandoned by the roadside after they were apparently ransacked by the attackers.
HURIWA, therefore, is challenging the Spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari Alhaji Garba Shehu to embark on televised road travels from Abuja to Zamfara and Katsina and from Abuja to Lagos with no security protection so he can have the bragging right to ask Nigerians to heap praises on his master if he thinks security has improved.
The Rights group said there is nothing like resolving the attacks massively launched against farmers by armed Fulani herdsmen because the Federal government has refused to charge any armed Fulani terrorists to court over the incessant bloodshed and premeditated attacks against farmers all over Nigeria with Benue, Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Ebonyi States and Enugu state as flashpoints of armed Fulani terrorism.
“How do you solve a crime without the suspects being brought to face the full weight of the law for their atrocities against farmers including the killings of many Catholic Priests in Benue State?”, HURIWA asked.
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