‘Bandits have intensified war on Nigerians’

Civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the weekend’s wave of coordinated assaults by Boko Haram, ISWAP fighters, armed bandits and kidnappers across Borno, Katsina and Edo States, which claimed more than 131 lives.

The group described the incidents as evidence of an escalating war being waged against Nigerians by non-state armed groups.

While acknowledging recent gains by the military and the Department of State Services (DSS), HURIWA urged Chief of Defence Staff, General Chris Musa, and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to intensify efforts to crush the insurgents.

The group decried the loss of over 65,000 lives to terrorism nationwide and expressed frustration over the slow pace of justice in prosecuting mass killers and insurgents in Nigerian courts.

In a Sunday statement, its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, lamented the killing of 55 people by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP militants in Borno State. The victims were attacked in a village where displaced residents had only recently resettled.

READ ALSO:’Their courage won’t be forgotten’- BUA reacts to deadly attack in Okpella

HURIWA also hailed the courage of Shagari and Bimasa residents in Sokoto State, who on Thursday fought back against bandits, freed kidnapped relatives, and reportedly killed at least 15 attackers.

On the violence in Katsina, the association recalled that seven people lost their lives in an assault on Magajin Wando village in Dandume Local Government Area.

The rights group urged the armed forces, DSS and police to step up proactive measures to forestall such attacks before they occur. It further condemned the killing of security personnel in Edo State and the abduction of expatriate workers, describing the incidents as a severe setback to national security.

According to HURIWA, the murder of operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) underscores the urgent need for seamless collaboration among security agencies so that reinforcements can swiftly be deployed whenever one unit comes under attack.

“The pride of any nation is continuously promoted when it becomes a regular features of the armed forces that they always conquer and vanquish terrorists who attempt to torpedo the security agents. The armed security forces ought to dominate the war environment at all times,” the statement said.

The association called on the National Security Adviser to ensure the recent ambush that killed eight NSCDC operatives never recurs, stressing the importance of overwhelming and decisively defeating terrorists.

It also urged citizens to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations to bring an end to the violence.