Refusing
to believe that the Nigeria’s chief of army staff Lieutenant General Tukur
Yusuf Buratai could make a comment dismissing nation-wide apprehension by
frightened Nigerians about phenomenal rise in insecurity, a pro-democracy group
– HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) said it would amount to
political sophistry for anyone to deny the realities of unprecedented state of
insecurity all across Nigeria. The group said facts exist to show that
virtually all families in Nigeria may have suffered one fatalities or the other
from the incredible high levels of insecurity, anarchy and impunity that
pervades the horizon just as it wonders from which indices the experienced and
vastly patriotic Army Chief of staff is evaluating the state of security in the
Country at the moment.
Besides, HURIWA faulted the reported parley between the
speaker of the Federal House Of Representatives Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila with
armed bandits and hoodlums in Zamfara even as it describes the act of holding
dialogue with armed insurgents by any government official as an act of high
treason and one of the most serious crimes against the constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria. HURIWA stated that state officials have sworn an
oath on their honour to defend the Nigerian constitution just as the Nigerian
constitution had in section 6 conceded the judicial powers of the federation on
the Courts of competent jurisdiction meaning that crime suspects ought to be prosecuted
and made to face the full wrath of the law and not to be applauded for their
criminality just as the Rights group asserted that by provisions of section 4
the National Assembly ought to be concerned about making good laws for the
peace and security of Nigeria and not for the Speaker or anyone for that matter
to undermine the constitution by engaging in nocturnal dialogues with outlaws
who have declared war against the people of Nigeria and against the Nigerian
State. HURIWA asserted that the extant Terrorism Prevention (amendment)
Act has outlawed and overruled the holding of such illegal consultations with
terrorists and bandits.
The Rights group has therefore urged the Federal House
of Representatives to impeach the speaker Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila for reportedly
holding this unholy communion with freelance armed bandits responsible for
thousands of killings in Zamfara state and for waging war against the Nigeria
state. The Rights group regretted that the Speaker was still battling to clear
his name of the cocktail of allegations that he embezzled his clients cash of
$25,000 in USA which reportedly led to his alleged debarment from
practicing law in USA and here is the same man seen or reported to be holding
meetings or said to have negotiated with mass killers with blood of innocent
citizens in their filthy hands.
HURIWA in a media statement said if indeed the speaker
as widely reported held a meeting with armed bandits in Zamfara state, he could
as well schedule state by state visits to prisons across the country to begin
dialogues with convicted criminals and kidnappers beginning with Evans the
billionaire kidnapper so they are also granted amnesty since many of such
convicted persons did not kill as much as the Zamfara bandits who have suddenly
become the 'good boys' and play things of those in the corridors of power.
“The perfidy and a grave act of treachery against the
Nigerian constitution also amounted to a desecration of the sacred oath of
office sworn to by the speaker to uphold the sanctity of the Nigerian
constitution just as HURIWA said irreparable damage would be done to the
constitution should the speaker not be sanctioned”. The Rights group stated
that since the report broke it waited for the Speaker to deny it but it would
seem that the press may have written a true reflection of what happened unless otherwise
contradicted with superior information to the contrary.
“Holding meetings with bloody killers and mass murderers
is high treason and this show of legislative rascality and the celebration of
impunity which the reported and alleged meeting between speaker Gbajabiamila
and bandits represents have sent danger signals all around the globe that
Nigeria is now an actively failed state”.
HURIWA cited the following plethora of sections of the
constitution which the alleged meeting contravened: Section 1(1)
states: “This Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding
force on the authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of
Nigeria”.
Section 4(1)(2) states: “The legislative
powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be vested in a National
Assembly for the
Federation, which shall consist of a Senate and a House
of Representatives”.
“The National Assembly shall have power to make laws for
the peace, order and good government of the Federation or any part thereof with
respect to any matter included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in
Part I of the Second Schedule to this Constitution.”
Section 33(1) states: “Every person has a
right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in
execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which
he has been found guilty in Nigeria”.
Section 42(1)(2) states: “A citizen of
Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion
or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:- (a)
be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law
in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the
government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of
other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political
opinions are not made subject; or (b) be accorded either expressly by, or in
the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive
or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to
citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex,
religions or political opinions”.
“No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any
disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth”.
HURIWA said it amounts to discrimination for one set of criminals and
terrorists to be treated with kid gloves whereas others are treated with sledge
hammer because of their religion or ethnicity.
HURIWA recalled that speaker of House of
Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila reportedly met bandits’ commanders and
the volunteer local vigilance groups known as ‘Yan Sakai, the two groups
responsible for banditry activities in Zamfara State.
As credited to a section of the media, Mr. Gbajabiamila
described the dialogue and peace initiative of the Zamfara State government
which brought together the two warring groups together at a round table as a
great feat that would lead to everlasting peace in Zamfara State.
The speaker was speaking at the Government House, Gusau,
while on a one-day working visit to Zamfara to ascertain the security problems
in the state and meet stakeholders to seek lasting solutions to the ugly menace
in the state.
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