By George Mgbeleke

Prominent pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to return immediately and be on ground to marshal out military strategies as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of Nigeria so the heightened state of insecurity especially the spikes in terrorist attacks can be adequately confronted and defeated.

“Mr. President must come back to Nigeria or properly hand over to his vice to act as President so the nation’s war on terror can regain momentum. Where has it ever happened that a man whose house is on fire would go on frolicking in foreign lands and then expect that the fire would be extinguished magically?” Is Mr. President aware that the terrorists have taken their fights even as far as Ondo state in the South West and so means business? Why is Nigeria not waging the right kind of war of decimation and degrading of these terrorists?

In a statement by made available to Journalists on Monday by the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA said it is disturbing that our President could be in France eating dinner with other World leaders including the President of Rwanda whilst his country is on fire and undergoing some of the gravest, and most coordinated and simultaneous bloodshed unleashed by terrorists just as the Rights group said the presence physically of the president in Nigeria would significantly boost the fights against terrorists since he will keep a tab on what goes on within the security architecture of Nigeria.

HURIWA strongly condemns the rashes of coordinated bloody attacks by terrorists in Niger State, Akure in Ondo state and the seemingly unending hostage situation in Kwara, Edo states in which the terrorists holding scores of innocent Nigerians are making outrageous demands for ransoms before they would free the citizens taking away into the forests by the terrorists who are mostly Fulani herders.

“The sad news that at least 42 people have been killed by terrorists, with an unspecified number of individuals, including children, abducted in attacks on communities in Agwarra and Borgu LGAs of Niger state, has come to us as a very sad and shocking thing given that not long ago, Nigerians were told by the National Security Adviser to the President that security forces are in pursuit of terrorists operating in Niger State and had successfully retrieved the over 300 school children abducted from their Catholic school in that state by the Islamic terrorists.

“Does it mean that as soon as the children were retrieved or were they released after negotiated settlement between the government and the terrorists, the security forces went to bed and were not put on high alert to prevent another incidence of armed abductions that have just happened? What kind of poor security and military strategy is this that as soon as the kidnapped students were retrieved and returned to their distraught families, the military operatives and other security forces deployed for that assignment were ordered to go home or what exactly is the situation that allowed for these successful terrorists attacks in the same Niger State?

“What happened in Niger state is an unforgivable error of judgment by the heads of the nation’s security institutions whose negligence has triggered these latest armed abductions by terrorists who struck in Niger State. We were told that Niger state has vast landed assets but why are there no security technologies deployed to track down the movements of the terrorists?”

HURIWA said sources disclosed that the gunmen had been attacking villages in Agwarra for over a week without resistance. This scenario of abandoning citizens to be ceaselessly killed is unpardonable and absolutely reprehensible.

Residents said the gunmen wreaked havoc on several communities before abducting scores, including pupils and students from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwarra. THE FACT THAT THIS SAME CATHOLIC SCHOOL WAS ATTACKED BY TERRORISTS IS AN ABSOLUTELY INTOLERABLE CRIME ON THE PART OF GOVERNMENT THAT FAILED TO PROTECT THE VULNERABLE CHILDREN AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST BE BLAMED FOR THIS OUTRAGEOUS FAILURES OF JUDGMENT AND INTELLIGENCE.

“They killed 37 people in Kasuwa Daji near Papiri, another five in Kaima village, and abducted many people, including children. Some of these children are students of the same schools,” TheCable reported a source to have said..

Stephen Kabirat, the director of communications for the Catholic Church in Kontagora Diocese, confirmed the attacks on the Catholic mission house.

He said the terrorists killed over 40 people, abducted villagers including children, and destroyed church property.

“Our Parish Priest narrowly escaped abduction when the terrorists visited our Mission House three days ago. They destroyed religious items, stole two motorcycles, and took cash exceeding N200,000,” he said.

Wasiu Abiodun, spokesperson of the Niger police command, confirmed the attacks.

He said the bandits attacked Kasuwan Daji in Borgu LGA around 4:30 pm on Saturday, burning the market, looting shops, and carting away food supplies.

He said over 10 people were killed, and only Borgu LGA was attacked by the gunmen.

“At least 30 persons were killed, and several others kidnapped. A joint security team has visited the scene, and efforts to rescue the victims are ongoing,” he said.

The police said that further updates would be provided as the story developed.

HURIWA said it is not enough that the peripatetic and globetrotting President of Nigeria is in France and handing down telephone command to the security heads to go after the terrorists just as the RIGHTS GROUP demanded accountability from the heads of the security forces who abandoned the citizens to their cruel fate for weeks just before these latest attacks by terrorists that have now attracted the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Rights group in a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko wondered how a Sovereign nation with properly constituted government could allow armed non-state actors to dictate their pace of operations and to dish out instructions to relatives of citizens they kidnapped to pay them hundreds of millions of Naira as ransoms in Edo and Kwara states if they ever want to see their abducted relatives alive. Is Nigeria truly a sovereignty? What’s going on here. WHY ARE HEADS NOT ROLLING IN THE SECURITY SERVICES AND WHY IS THE WEAK IGP STILL IN SERVICE BEYOND RETIREMENT AGE OF 60?