BOKO HARAM: HURIWA CANVASS NIGERIA/UNITED STATES' DEFENCE PACT

A foremost civil society group-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has again called on President Goodluck Jonathan to provide effective, and decisive leadership in tackling the widening scope of armed insurgency in parts of Nigeria and stop the wanton destruction of precious lives and property of Nigerians.  

The group  which called the gruesome mass killing of scores of worshippers of the Deeper life Bible Church in Kogi State recently as ‘heinous crimes against humanity’ and the worst manifestation of terror-violence also asked the Federal Government to immediately sign defence pact with stronger military powers such as the United States or United Kingdom so as to acquire the most efficient security architecture and Professional intelligence-driven skills to check the spread of terrorism in Nigeria. The group also wants Government to erect formidable electrified fences around Nigeria’s international borders to stop armed importers from infiltrating the country with assorted weapons of mass destruction which are now being used by armed insurgents.

In a statement jointly endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Director of Media Miss Zainab Yusuf, the Rights Group condemned the lack luster and ineffective approach of President Jonathan towards implementing practical, pragmatic and comprehensive steps to stop the ongoing killings by armed Islamic fundamentalists in Northern Nigeria which unfortunately is spiraling out of control. The Rights Group also blamed the total and systematic collapse of the Nigeria Police Force for the spread of terror-related violence and other forms of crimes even as it urged the Federal Government to begin the long awaited police reforms.

The group said the failure of the federal and States Governments especially in the North to effectively end the killings is a monumental constitutional breach since according to it, the most fundamental lawful duty of the federal and state administrations in our contemporary times is to provide security of lives and property of Nigerians.

The Rights group expressed sadness that President Jonathan and the Governors of the 36 states have embarked on the frenzy of media propaganda and political rhetoric rather than take immediate, verifiable, practical and result-oriented measures to stop the spread of terror-related killings across the country and warned them that they stand the chance of being dragged before the International Crimes Court for crimes against humanity after their statutory tenure as political office holders.
HURIWA said there is no sign that the current administration at the Federal level has adopted concrete measures to fortify security at the various notoriously porous international borders to stop armed importers and terrorists from the ongoing flooding of Nigeria with sophisticated weapons and explosives which are illegally deployed by armed non-state actors and terrorists to cause maximum chaos and horrendous mass killings.

HURIWA therefore canvassed immediate signing of defence pact with developed friendly nations such as the United States or the United Kingdom as a short and long term measure to curb the continuous extra-legal execution and mass killings of Nigerians by armed insurgents. “This defence pact is imperative because from the abundance of evidence regarding the ongoing mass killings, the Nigerian Government as currently constituted is incapable of providing effective security to the lives and property of Nigerians”.
The group which urged President Jonathan to quickly convoke top security summit with leaders of the National Assembly to work out modalities on the most rapid way of achieving effective signing of a defence pact with the United States or United Kingdom in line with section 12(1) of the 1999 constitution (as amended), said posterity will judge the current Jonathan’s federal administration harshly if the ongoing genocide by armed religious rebels are not effectively checked and perpetrators made to bear the full weight of the law.

The Rights group stated that; “It is clear that the failure by this government to stop the ongoing genocide by armed non-state actors and terrorists is a serious constitutional breach of section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. We hereby appeal to government to among other urgent security and intelligence-motivated steps, to sign defence pact with the United States of America”.   

9/8/2012