HURIWA to Gov Mbah : Tell Tinubu to declare security emergency on Opi-Nsukka road

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, to collaborate with his Kogi State counterpart in persuading President Bola Tinubu to declare the Opi-Nsukka road and the federal highway linking Kogi and Enugu as a security emergency zone.

The group also called for the establishment of permanent military and mobile police bases in these areas to combat rising insecurity.

HURIWA’s appeal follows the recent kidnapping of Prof. Oguejiofo Ujam, a senior lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), along the Ugwuogo-Nike-Opi-Nsukka road.

The professor’s abduction came just hours after an officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) was similarly kidnapped, with a N50 million ransom demanded by the assailants.

In a statement on Monday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation on the Opi-Nsukka axis.

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He noted that the abduction of Prof. Ujam, who serves as Dean of the School of General Studies at UNN, and the kidnapping of the FRSC officer, are part of a disturbing pattern of violence. According to HURIWA, several kidnappings have occurred along the route in recent weeks, causing widespread panic and frustration among motorists.

“HURIWA learnt that the kidnapping of the varsity don is one in a series of abductions along the road within the last one week. Motorists plying Opi-Nsukka road in Enugu State have been in a general state of tensions, unrestrained panic, and disappointment with unresolved cases of kidnappings on the same axis in which the kidnap of an operative of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) identified as Emeason Chima happened only last week,” the statement read.

The rights group questioned the effectiveness of the numerous police and military checkpoints along the route.

“We in HURIWA wondered why these kidnappings have gone on for far too long around the Ekwegbe/Opi axis along the Enugu-Ugwuogo highway… It is disturbing because of the presence of over six police and two military checkpoints around the route he was kidnapped. Could this be a case of conspiratorial partnerships between the terrorists and the armed security operatives at those checkpoints to perpetuate cases of kidnappings and maximise pecuniary benefits?” HURIWA queried.

The group reiterated its demand for military and mobile police bases along the Opi-Nsukka road and the Kogi-Enugu border, where many abductions and killings have occurred despite ransom payments.

In addition, HURIWA condemned a bill currently before the House of Representatives seeking to arm officers of the FRSC, warning that such a move could lead to an increase in extrajudicial killings.

“The bill, if passed, will unduly lead to the proliferation of arms in the hands of too many unprofessional and largely untrained persons, which may increase incidents of extrajudicial killings of citizens,” the statement added.

HURIWA expressed concerns about the recruitment process within the FRSC, alleging that unqualified individuals, including motor park touts, are being absorbed into the agency. The group called on the National Assembly to focus on improving the professionalism and accountability of the FRSC rather than expanding its powers.

The group also referenced a recent bill proposing the creation of a special armed squad within the FRSC, which has sparked widespread criticism.

“HURIWA believes passionately that this toxic bill lacks any utilitarian quality, even as it has understandably intensified concerns about firearm intimidation and potential abuses against ordinary Nigerians,” the group said, citing viral videos of unprofessional behavior by some FRSC officials.

HURIWA emphasized the need for better oversight and reforms within the FRSC, which it described as one of the most corrupt federal agencies in Nigeria.