STOP GENOCIDE IN SOUTHERN KADUNA OR FACE ICC-HURIWA WARNS GOV. YERO

By Emmanuel Onwubiko

Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State, North West Nigeria has been tasked to implement proactive and fool proof security and community-based measures to bring to an end to the on-going mass killings of indigenous people of Southern Kaduna State by suspected armed Fulani mercenary fighters or be prepared to be dragged to the International Criminal Court [ICC] in The Hague, Netherlands for alleged crimes against humanity and failing to stop genocide with his executive might.


Making the call in a media statement signed jointly by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, the pro-democracy Non-Governmental Organization-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [HURIWA] also urged the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Dr. Good luck Jonathan to compel the Comptrollers General of Immigration and Nigerian Customs Service to arrest and prosecute the alleged foreign and local collaborators who smuggle sophisticated arms, ammunition and small weapons which are deployed in the intermittent massive bloody attacks targeted against the largely Christian dominated Southern Kaduna villages and towns which in the last count have caused the untimely and gruesome murders of over 10,000 persons.


HURIWA expressed shock and consternation that the various armed security services and agencies based in the Northern parts of the country and especially those manning communities neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad have looked the other way while arms' smugglers seem to be having field days going by the frequency and high casualty rates of the well choreographed genocidal attacks against the people of Southern Kaduna and the spate of organized arsons that have successfully happened without been repelled in that endangered parts of Kaduna State. ''The bloodbath and needless killings of hapless and innocent villagers of Southern Kaduna State must stop forthwith and all the suspected killers brought to justice.''


In the considered thinking of HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [HURIWA] there is more to it than meets the eyes therefore the Rights group has called on the President to compel the hierarchies of the armed security community and especially the Comptrollers General of Nigeria Customs and Immigration to immediately effect massive transfer of top management staff coordinating operations in the border communities around Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Borno and Kebbi States even as the hierarchies of these security agencies should devise effective and efficient measures to track down smugglers of illegal weapons who are in the tradition of financially compromising top security operatives who conspire to allow the inflow of these sophisticated arms and ammunition.


The Rights Group has also expressed disappointment that even as the nation is yet to overcome constant terrorists attacks by armed Islamic insurgents and their foreign partners, the men and officers of the Nigerian Customs and Nigerian Immigration have failed spectacularly to end of the spectacles of self inflicted episodes of allowing the infiltration of undesirable elements from the neighbouring nations who have wrecked devastating havocs and are among some of the fighters hired to attack communities in Southern Kaduna. HURIWA wants the Nigerian Federal Government to take more than just a passing interest in the mass killings being spearheaded by suspected Fulani Herdsmen. ''The central Government must clearly inform the Kaduna State administration of its constitutional obligation to safeguard the lives and property of all citizens irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliations.''


On the failure of the Kaduna State governor to bring to an end the spate of attacks against Southern Kaduna indigenous people, the Rights group reminded the Kaduna State administration that serially failing to bring perpetrators of crimes against humanity to face criminal justice and effective trial in that State could be construed and interpreted as a constitutional breach which has occasioned genocide and these crimes which are viewed as grave violations of all international humanitarian laws could result in the Kaduna State governor being dragged before the International Criminal Court in the nearest possible future especially if the civil society groups now clamouring for an end to the campaign of genocide are not satisfied that the Kaduna State government has adopted measures to provide security of lives and property of the people of the State and especially the endangered people of Southern Kaduna State.


''HURIWA is using this forum to inform the Kaduna State governor that human rights and civil society groups of like minds are already compiling charges of genocide and crimes against humanity just for his government's abysmal failure to halt these atrocities. The Governor should be informed that these groups are already gathering concrete and quality body of evidence which may be used against him in the global crimes Court since the local courts in Nigeria appears to have lacked the moral credibility and courage to successfully bring any of the past governors with traceable cases of failure to stop mass killings to account for these heinous crimes. It is in the self enlightened interest of the Kaduna State governor that he implements transparent and accountable measures to stop the genocide going on in Southern Kaduna State now.''