A democracy focused Non-Governmental organization–HUMAN RIGHTS
WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has decried what it calls the senseless
and insensitive dancing on the graves of the departed worshipers who perished
in the stampede on Saturday at the vigil of the Holy Ghost adoration ministry
in Uke, Anambra state by Anambra politicians of diverse platforms.
Besides, the Rights group has called for the immediate
setting up of an independent judicial commission of inquiry by the Anambra
state government to unravel the remote and immediate circumstances surrounding
the unfortunate incident, name and prosecute the indicted culprits devoid of
political witch hunting and to pay proper financial compensation to surviving relatives
of all the 28 worshippers that reportedly died.
HURIWA also condemned the poor emergency rescue mechanism in
place in Anambra state and advocated the creation of a vibrant and well funded
state emergency management agency patterned after the National Emergency
Management Agency of Nigeria. The group said since the welfare and security of
the citizenry was the prime constitutional obligation of government, it is inconceivable
that such a monumental spiritual event at the weekend in Anambra state was not
attended by sufficiently equipped state run emergency management and rescue
agency.
In a statement made available to journalists and jointly
endorsed by the national coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national
media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA also tasked the Anambra state government
to openly name the suspected police operatives responsible for the extra-legal
killing of the scores of corpses found few months ago in the Ezu River near the
Anambra state border with Enugu state.
HURIWA said the failure of the Anambra and federal governments
to conclusively investigate, name and prosecute the indicted police operatives
who allegedly killed and dumped nearly three dozen Anambra citizens suspected
to be members of the movement of the sovereign state of Biafra (MASSOB) is one
of the greatest disservice to humanity and an attempt to protect mass murderers
in police uniform and by so doing institutionalize impunity and lawlessness.
HURIWA said this spectacular cover up of the indicted police operatives that
executed one of the most gruesome extra-legal killings was reprehensible and regrettable.
On the deadly stampede at the weekend which resulted in the death
of 28 worshipers, the Rights group said posterity and history will be very
harsh on Governor Peter Obi and Anambra opposition politicians should they
continue to play dirty partisan politics with this unfortunate loss of precious
lives of citizens and fail to objectively probe and determine to its finality,
the causes of that sad incident and proceed to prosecute all indicted culprits
who precipitated the deadly stampede.
Reminding Anambra state government of its constitutional
obligation to protect lives and property of its citizenry, HURIWA also called
on state governments in the country to compel religious bodies to only conduct their
services in venues that are safe and conducive to avoid the repeat of the Uke
Anambra deadly stampede.
HURIWA also said: “The Anambra State governor must identify
those that died and work out effective, transparent and accountable strategies
for payment of meaningful financial compensation to families of the dead
because government failed in its constitutional duty to protect their lives
from the unwarranted stampede.”
4/11/2013
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