A civil rights advocacy group, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA), has berated President Muhammadu Buhari for escalating vicious attacks on villages in the northwest Nigeria by armed Fulani militia.
HURIWA alleged that the killings take place because the President misuses the security forces to go after unarmed agitators for self-government in the southeast Nigeria and seeking to crush the vigilante, Eastern Security Network, (ESN) set up by southeast youths to drive away armed Fulani herdsmen from attacking southeast states; noting that the same federal government watches in a conspiratorial silence, the way armed bandits are destroying northern states.
The group recalled that the Nigeria Police in Kebbi State said that 66 people were killed by bandits in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. HURIWA, therefore, carpeted President Buhari for treating armed terrorists with kid gloves.
HURIWA alleged that the Federal government pampers armed northern bandits because the attackers share same ethno- religious affiliation with the President. The group decried that the President viciously deploys soldiers and police to Southeast Nigeria, using unorthodox style to try to check the rising clamour by some Youth for self-determination and in the process, killing innocent youths.
HURIWA condemned the Department of State Services (DSS) for failing to arrest Senator Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa and one Isa Tafida MAFINDI who are known to have openly bragged that they will attack members of the Igbo Ethnic nationality.
The group protested that whilst one Mr. Isa Tafida MAFINDI, who identifies himself on tweeter as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and a member of the National Executive Committee/Board of Trustees of the opposition party, and owner of a business concern known as Halal abattoirs, openly canvassed through a recorded conversation with a suspected lady author of a book, the recorded conversation was carried on YouTube, for attack on Igbo living in the North as a revenge for the rising agitations by some Igbo youths canvassing self-government, the Bauchi State born Senator, Adamu Bulkachuwa, openly threatened that President Buhari will declare war on Southeast of Nigeria to crush the rising clamour by some Igbo youths for self-government.
The group described the deliberate failure of the Department of Security Services (DSS) to arrest the duo as part of the larger conspiracy by some persons high up there in the Buhari administration to orchestrate the genocide of the Igbo speaking nationality. The group urged leaders of the international community not to sit idly by and allow President Buhari and his war mongering cabal to start off a pogrom against Igbo ethnicity.
HURIWA wondered why President Buhari has elected to permit armed Fulani militia members, known as armed bandits, to continue killing spree in some northwest states whereas he has decided to massively deploy heavy land and air power to the southeast Nigeria to go after innocent Igbo Youths who aren’t the real armed attackers of the security facilities and operatives of the armed forces.
The group which described as despicable, reprehensible and totally abhorrent, the recent killing of 66 villagers in Kebbi State, called on President Buhari to use his Presidential powers to go after terrorists notwithstanding that majority of these terrorists and armed bandits share same religious faith and tribe with the President, himself.
HURIWA said that the nepotistic appointment of only Fulani to head the security architectures is the fundamental reason these armed Fulani herdsmen and terrorists are having field days in the north and other parts of Nigeria killing, maiming, destroying villagers and villages, kidnapping students, travelers and the security forces are watching them as if they are above crushing.
HURIWA said: “We read the spokesperson of the Kebbi State Police Command, DSP Nafiu Abubakar, saying the massacre took place on Thursday in eight villages of the council. According to him, though the police were still counting the number of the dead, but the state police command had already dispatched a detachment of the officers and men of the police force to the area.
“The killing took place in Koro, kimpi, Gaya, Dimi, Zutu, Rafin Gora and Iguenge villages, all in Danko/Wasagu LGA of Kebbi State.”
HURIWA also quoted the media as stating that majority of the people of the affected villages have escaped to the nearby town of Riba for safety just as it is a notorious fact that in April, bandits killed nine policemen among whom was the Police DPO of Danko/Wasagu.
The group, therefore, stated that the fact that “President Buhari picks and chooses where to send soldiers and police to unleash venomous violence against civilian populace, is the reason armed Fulani militia and terrorists are openly carrying out their well-coordinated attacks against citizens.”
The group said armed northern bandits have killed more policemen and soldiers as opposed to the number killed unfortunately by the so-called unknown gunmen in the southeast and south-south Nigeria.