HURIWA Wants FG To Launch Manhunt For 20 Kidnapped Borno Girls

A democracy inclined Non-Governmental Organization-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [HURIWA] has challenged the Federal Government to direct the National Security Adviser and the hierarchy of the Nigerian Armed Forces to set up without any further delay nor fanfare/media ceremony, a search team to rescue the 20 Nigerian female students allegedly kidnapped nearly a month ago by suspected armed members of the dreaded Islamic insurgents from a school dormitory in Borno state.

The organization said it was appalling and incredulous that nearly a month after the reported kidnapping on gunpoint of some 20 teenage girls from a school premises in Borno state, North Eastern Nigeria, the Federal Government has not openly made statement confirming or denying the widely circulated report or to even hold meeting discreetly with the parents and guardians of the allegedly abducted girls. HURIWA also tasked the Borno state government and community leaders to provide humanitarian supports and/or relief materials to the parents of these unfortunate girls.

Besides, HURIWA has also warned the Federal Government to check the anti-democracy tendencies of the nation's police operatives including the reported breakup of a peaceful demonstration by Nigerians of diverse backgrounds in Abuja against the incessant massacre of innocent students in the North Eastern States of Yobe and Borno States.

HURIWA noted that Government is obliged to rescue alive those kidnapped innocent female students before further irreparable physical and psychological harm happens to them while in captivity just as it lamented that the Federal Government appeared to have rapidly failed to discharge the most basic constitutional functions and duties of a legitimate democratically elected government under the extant constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is the protection of the lives and property of all law abiden Nigerians irrespective of their status and station in the federating units of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Quoting copiously from provisions of the constitution, HURIWA stated that the most primary duty of government is the security and welfare of the people which shall at all times must be enforced by all means necessary. The Group in the statement endorsed jointly by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, said it is absolutely intolerable that armed hoodlums could operate freely in some parts of North Eastern Nigeria and the Nigerian military with all the humongous ad outrageously monumental financial budgetary releases appeared to lack the superior firepower to decisively bring these intermittent insurrection and genocidal killings to an end and for the perpetrators to be brought to swift justice in compliance with section 6 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

HURIWA has also suggested that the Federal Government may consider the passage of a national legislation into law to make it a capital criminal offence for any government official to divert and/or loot public fund dedicated for the defence sector or the ministry of Defence and for all convicted looters of defence budgetary finances to face summary public execution because of the extensive damage that corruption in the ministry of defence especially in the department of procurement has led to the near-crippling of the Nigerian Armed Forces as has been severally reported.

HURIWA has also called on the Federal Government to consider bringing back the National Guard and to consider signing defence pact with the United States of America or Britain to counter the suspected role of French government and its West African allies in the unprecedented spate of militancy around our borders by armed religious extremists.

The Right body which condemned the very recent attacks of some communities in Adamawa state by suspected armed terrorists, has also expressed the fear that the anti-people tendencies of the operatives and officers of the Nigerian Police could drive the masses underground to begin coordinated civil unrests that could undermine peace and the orderliness that still exists in few places around the country.

"The police as a constitutional creation ought not to undermine and sabotage actively the enforcement of provisions encompassed in the same supreme body of laws that guides Nigeria but are obliged to prevent the violations of the fundamental freedoms that are universal, inalienable, and are basic rights of all Citizens of Nigeria", HURIWA stated.

The Rights group particularly singled out the newly drafted commissioner of police in the Federal Capital Territory Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu who recently issued an illegal and highly unconstitutional order that all kinds of demonstrations are banned within the Federal Capital Territory. HURIWA asked the Federal Government to direct the police Inspector General of Police to order his officers to comply and abide with constitutional provisions and stop all actions and measures that will greatly curtail the enjoyment of the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental freedoms enshrined in chapter four of the 1999 constitution [as amended].