HURIWA hits Onanuga over Kanu remark, backs Sowore’s planned protest

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, branding him a “tribal bigot” whose utterances threaten Nigeria’s delicate unity.

The rights group criticised Onanuga’s recent comment that detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, “will get what he deserves,” describing it as another example of the selective justice and double standards plaguing Nigeria’s judicial system — where dissenters from certain ethnic groups are punished while others are rewarded for similar or worse conduct.

In a statement issued to journalists on Friday, HURIWA said it was ironic that Onanuga, who once threatened the Igbo community during the 2023 general elections, now holds a top government position rather than being questioned by security agencies.

“Bayo Onanuga is the one who deserves to be in DSS custody, not Nnamdi Kanu,” the association declared in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko.

“In 2023, he incited ethnic hatred when he warned Igbos to stay out of Lagos politics. He said, ‘Let 2023 be the last time of Igbo interference in Lagos politics.’ That was hate speech at its worst; a direct assault on the Igbo nationality. Yet, he roams free and enjoys presidential privileges,” it added.

HURIWA said Onanuga’s remarks were not just an attack on Kanu but an insult to the entire Igbo-speaking population, adding that Kanu’s agitation reflects the frustration of a people long subjected to systemic marginalization and exclusion.

“Nnamdi Kanu’s message, though sometimes delivered in strong language, was rooted in the call for equity and justice for the Igbo race. Anyone who denies that the Igbo people are systematically marginalized in modern-day Nigeria is either dishonest or an outcast among his people,” the group stated.

The association further accused Onanuga of hypocrisy for condemning rights activist Omoyele Sowore and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over their support for Kanu’s release.

“It is ironic that Onanuga accused Atiku of commenting on a case before the court while he himself is making inflammatory pronouncements on the same issue,” HURIWA said.

“Onanuga is not the Chief Justice of Nigeria. He has no right to sit in Aso Rock and pass judgment on Kanu. What gives him the moral or legal authority to pre-judge a matter in court while pretending to caution others?” it queried.

HURIWA announced its full participation in the peaceful protest being planned by Omoyele Sowore to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, urging Nigerians — particularly those from the Southeast — to rise up against selective justice.

“Let the heavens fall, we will come out. Enough is enough. Every right-thinking Igbo person should join this protest. We cannot continue to be intimidated by people like Bayo Onanuga who should be behind bars for hate speech and ethnic incitement,” the group declared.

The association recalled that Onanuga’s ethnic tirade in 2023 was not an isolated act, citing similar threats from Lagos transport union leader, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, who warned non-Yoruba voters to stay away from polling stations unless they were voting for the APC.

“MC Oluomo said, ‘If you no wan vote for APC, stay at home o!’; a clear call for voter suppression and ethnic violence,” HURIWA recalled. “That reckless statement was followed by brutal attacks in Lagos, including the case of Mrs. Idowu Owohunwa, who was stabbed and bloodied while trying to vote. Yet, no one was arrested or prosecuted.”

According to the association, Onanuga, MC Oluomo, and others who made inflammatory statements during the 2023 polls are “far guiltier” than Nnamdi Kanu, whose rhetoric, it argued, never directly caused violence.

“The truth is that Onanuga and MC Oluomo are the real symbols of hate speech in Nigeria. They are worse than Nnamdi Kanu because their words caused bloodshed, while Kanu’s words were calls for justice,” HURIWA maintained.

The group condemned what it described as deep-seated ethnic bias in the country’s justice system, where anti-Igbo provocateurs remain free and even occupy public offices, while a man advocating equality is treated as a criminal.

“If Nnamdi Kanu were a Yoruba man, he would not have been held for this long. The Nigerian justice system is skewed, weaponised, and openly biased against the Igbo people,” the statement read.

HURIWA called on the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate Onanuga for incitement and ethnic hate speech, warning that his conduct threatens the nation’s stability.

“The government cannot continue to protect people like Onanuga who are capable of setting this country on fire. Before Tinubu rewarded him with an appointment, Onanuga made a statement worse than what Nnamdi Kanu ever said. Yet, he is in Aso Rock while Kanu is in chains. That is not justice,” the group concluded.