HURIWA blasts security agencies over massacres in Arondizuogu, Imo state and Bokkos, Plateau state

• Demands Accountability for Systemic Security and Intelligence Failures in Nigeria

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has issued a scathing condemnation of the horrific attacks on communities in Arondizuogu, Ideato North LGA of Imo State, and in Bokkos, Plateau State, describing the events as a direct consequence of systemic, deeply entrenched security and intelligence failures in the country.

HURIWA holds the federal and Imo state governments fully responsible for their failure to protect innocent Nigerians in increasingly lawless rural communities that have been left at the mercy of armed marauders. The group described as unacceptable and criminally negligent the inability of security forces to anticipate and forestall the brutal invasion of Arondizuogu by heavily armed gunmen, which left no fewer than seven people dead and many others gravely wounded.

Communities affected by the carnage—Ndi-Ejezie, Umualaoma, and Ndiakuwata Uno—are now gripped by fear and mourning, with viral videos exposing the gruesome aftermath of the attacks, including charred bodies in burnt-out homes. Yet again, the attackers vanished without a trace while security operatives reportedly arrived long after the damage was done.

Instead of taking responsibility, the Imo State Police Command rushed to blame the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Eastern Security Network (ESN)—without a single arrest or credible investigation. HURIWA questions the logic and ethics of this premature accusation.
“It is outrageous and utterly irresponsible that, without conducting proper investigations or securing any suspects, the police are so quick to point fingers at IPOB.

If the police had actionable intelligence implicating IPOB, why did they fail to prevent the attack? And if they had no prior knowledge, how are they so certain of the perpetrators’ identities? This is nothing short of voodoo policing!” said Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA’s National Coordinator.

HURIWA further denounced reported indiscriminate shootings by security agents in Mbano, Imo State, following a separate attack on a checkpoint. “We unequivocally condemn all acts of violence—whether by gunmen or state agents. The security forces must not respond to terrorism by turning their guns on innocent villagers. This is reckless, unlawful, and counterproductive,” HURIWA asserted.

In Plateau State, HURIWA also condemned the ambush and killing of 14 unarmed civilians—men, women, and children—returning from a market in Bokkos. Armed assailants reportedly opened fire without provocation, again escaping without resistance or arrest. The tragedy highlights once more the glaring incapacity of security operatives to protect rural Nigerians or respond effectively to coordinated attacks.

“Insecurity has become a death sentence for innocent Nigerians, especially in rural communities. We are witnessing the total breakdown of intelligence gathering, operational readiness, and accountability in our security architecture,” said HURIWA.

HURIWA is demanding the immediate overhaul of Nigeria’s failed security infrastructure, calling for public accountability and dismissal of security heads who have repeatedly failed to deliver on their constitutional duty to protect lives and property. The group further demanded that both federal and state governments invest in intelligence-led, community-based security systems to replace the current reactionary and chaotic approach to internal security.

HURIWA calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, and Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang to act decisively and urgently—not with empty rhetoric or cosmetic deployments, but with tangible reforms, results, and justice for the slain.

Enough is enough.