By George Mgbeleke
Prominent pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has applauded the United States government for making good its plan to facilitate the presence in Nigeria of the American security forces to partner with their Nigerian counterpart in the counterterrorism operations to wipe out terrorists engaged in the massive killings of Nigerian citizens.

HURIWA averred that the U.S. Africa Command had announced that a small team of American forces has been deployed to Nigeria.

HURIWA recalled that Reuters reported on Tuesday night, February 3, that the deployment follows an agreement between the two countries to more effectively counter terrorist threats in West Africa. The report said the deployed team brings “unique capabilities from the United States.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Defense, Christopher Musa, has also confirmed the presence of the team but did not provide further details.
According to the report, the deployment of U.S. forces comes after pressure from Washington on the Nigerian government.
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants in the country’s northwest.

HURIWA has however cautioned that the Defence minister should ensure that the military chiefs put out preemptive strategy to stop saboteurs embedded within the armed forces of Nigeria from leaking out intelligence shared with the Nigerian military by the United States forces to terrorists. “Nigerian security heads must root out undesirable elements within the armed forces that collude with terrorists and are in the habit of leaking out information and intelligence from the military to terrorists which mostly compromise the counterterrorism operations. If the activities of saboteurs aren’t minimised by Nigeria, then the United States forces may not trust us to maintain the partnership which is largely in our own interest.”

Besides, HURIWA has called out the heads of security and Intelligence institutions in Nigeria for abysmally failing to prevent the Tuesday’s bloody attacks on different communities in Kwara State by Islamic terrorists which culminated in the gruesome murder of over 40 citizens.

In a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA said it is disturbing and totally unacceptable that citizens are left to die in their numbers before the security forces are mobilise to the affected communities just as the group insisted that the repeated attacks on communities in Kwara State without the security forces and the intelligence community knowing about them and moving fast to prevent these bloody violence is reminiscent of a failed security and intelligence system.

“HURIWA is convinced that if the security forces alongside the intelligence community are efficient and effective, they ought to map up the flash points of possible infiltration by terrorists and then implement fool-proof measures to stop the attackers before they strike the communities. There is no doubt that the security forces are aware that terrorists who operate in Niger state could easily move into the nearest place outside their base if they are facing confrontation by the armed security forces of Nigeria.”

“We expect that the security and intelligence institutions should have contingencies and strategies in place that can very seamlessly be activated to prevent the incursions of terrorists from their place of operational dominance to safer places especially when the security forces are waging the counter insurgency and counter terrorism war. For the mere fact that this is not being done in Niger and also the ineffective deployment of technologies to combat terrorist attacks, shows a collapse of the security and intelligence system in Nigeria.”

HURIWA recalled that following the terrorists attacks in Woro and Nuku communities of Kaiama local government area of Kwara state, Tuesday evening, Soldiers and Forest Guards have taken over the communities, even as the death toll in the affected communities has risen to forty persons. But HURIWA condemned the belated reaction of the Nigerian security agencies as unfortunate and disappointing just as it expressed the opinion that if the intelligence community was up and doing and successfully generated intelligence about these terrorists, the bloodshed in Kwara state on Tuesday could have been avoided.

It has emerged that credible sources in the local government who spoke with journalists on condition of anonymity confirmed the development in an interview on Wednesday morning.
“The casualties are over Forty as we speak, and soldiers and Forest Guards have taken over the two communities. It’s such a very sad development at a time we think we are having peace from the bandits’ attacks of the past.” she said.
Recall that bandits in a renewed onslaught attacked two communities of Woro and Nuku in the Kaiama local government area of Kwara state on Tuesday evening.

HURIWA affirmed that the media claimed to have reliably gathered that many families lost their loved ones in the violent attack, while several houses were reportedly burnt by the hoodlums.
Credible sources stated that the terrorists from the neighbouring Niger state villages came to preach to residents in the two communities that they should jettison Nigeria constitution and embrace the Qur’an.

It was further gathered that the terrorists have been going around the neighbouring Niger state villages preaching the same before they infiltrated the affected communities in Kaima local government of Kwara state.

During the sermon,there were dissenting voices to the preaching which infuriated the bandits, prompting them to open gun shots attack on the congregation.

“The angry terrorists open attack indiscriminately on the congregation, and no fewer than forty residents of the two communities died; few of them escaped.
They should be preparing mass burial for them as we speak, “said the local source who pleaded not to be mentioned in print.

HURIWA has called for urgent restructuring of the leaderships of the police and the DSS in Kwara state so as to put up a much more efficient, result-oriented and effective commissioner of police and director of DSS even as HURIWA strongly condemns the failure of the Kwara state governor to put additional security measures in place to protect the residents of rural communities of the state from the continuous daring killings by terrorists. “How come this governor has done nothing to stop these incessant killings of his people?”

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Former member of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Israel Sunny Goli has felicitated with the Chairman of Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited and Executive Director of Fenog Nigeria Limited,Mr. Mathew Tonlagha over the celebration of his 50th Birthday.

He described the 50 years life of Mathew Tonlagha as a fountain of blessing to countless individuals and communities in the Niger Delta, Nigeria and the world at large.

Rt. Hon. Sunny Goli in his congratulatory message, described the 50th birthday of Mathew Tonlagha as a reminder of his modest contribution, “The celebration of your 50th birthday is a beautiful reminder of what our modest contributions toward making the world better can accomplish.”

“Your compassion, dedication, and consistent service to humanity are truly admirable. Our communities are better because people like you have taken it upon themselves the responsibility not to leave them the way you met them.”

“As you celebrate this golden milestone, it is my earnest prayer that your days be filled with joy, your home with peace, and your path with even greater purpose.”

” May this birthday open to you a new chapter of grace, strength, and continued service. Happy 50th Birthday, Sir.”

By George Mgbeleke

Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described as disappointing and unfortunate, the failure of the Federal and state governments to rescue the 177 worshippers violently abducted since over three weeks by terrorists.

HURIWA stated that the inability of the Nigerian State through the President to keep to the constitutional obligation to protect the lives and property of the citizens which the Supreme law listed out as the primary duty of government, is reminiscent of a failed nation.

HURIWA recalled that three churches in Kaduna state were viciously attacked and 177 worshippers kidnapped on Sunday 18 January.

The Rights group which blamed the Kaduna state government for reportedly reaching a truce with terrorists, for the continuous attacks especially in the Christian communities of Southern Kaduna.

HURIWA wondered whether the huge money allegedly paid to the terrorists for the so-called peace agreement have finished to necessitate the renewed bombardments by terrorists of mainly Christian communities to kidnap citizens in expectation of another huge payments. Immediate past governor of Kaduna state Mallam Nassir Elrufai had alleged that N1 billion was paid out to terrorists who accepted to end their attacks of communities in the state. But the Kaduna state government denied the allegation. Senator Shehu Sani a former Federal lawmaker also debunked the allegation made by erstwhile governor Elrufai.

Specifically, speaking about the attacks targeting the three churches in Kaduna, Yunana Adauji, a secretary of the church network attacked and who managed to escape his captors, informed the media as follows: “The incident took place around 9:30am while we were having Sunday morning worship. The terrorists came in their numbers with guns and gathered worshippers together in one place. They threatened to shoot anyone who tried to escape.

“The victims kidnapped were forced into the bush, including children, women and men, as well as sick people who were at home recuperating after surgery. We don’t know the condition of our people who were kidnapped. We need your prayers and help to see an end to these attacks.”

HURIWA lamented that initially, the local government and police denied that the event had taken place – a BBC article on the attack cites police commissioner Alhaji Muhammad Rabiu describing the news as ‘mere falsehood’. However, the local community documented the names of those who had been taken by extremists and shared them with a local journalist.

The Rights group therefore expressed shock several weeks after the Commissioner of police in Kaduna state misled the World and clearly played a covered up of the news of the kidnapping of 177 Christian worshippers, the top police chief has not faced any administrative sanctions for the misdemeanor. HURIWA has asked the Police Service Commission to sanction the Kaduna state police commissioner for attempting the mislead the world on the incident that led to the violent abduction by terrorists of 177 Christians from their churches.

HURIWA has therefore called on the military and police authorities to upgrade and intensify the search for the 177 kidnapped worshippers and ensure that the terrorists are arrested, prosecuted and punished sternly for their vicious crimes against the Nigerian citizens. “The chief of Defence Staff and the chief of Army Staff together with both the IGP and the DG of DSS, must partner swiftly to ensure that these 177 kidnapped Christians are rescued safely and also arrest and bring the terrorists to swift justice. Nigerians want a country in which the lives of citizens are sacrosanct and invisible. These incessant bloody attacks by terrorists are absolutely despicable and reprehensible. Those who ought to prevent and end the frequent killings must be made to implement workable strategies for ending these attacks.

Relatedly, the Rights group condemned the invasion by terrorists that burnt down the Divisional Police Station in Agwara town, headquarters of Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, raiding a church and kidnapping at least five people in the community on Sunday February 1st 2026. HURIWA described the continuous bombardments of communities in Niger state as shameful on the part of the security forces given that they are expected to have enforced effective mechanisms for preventing these killings and attacks by terrorists.

HURIWA citing media report, stated that the attackers that invaded the Niger staye community, reportedly arrived around 4am and engaged the police officers in a gun battle just as they eventually set the police station on fire, and reportedly moved to the UMC Church and some parts of the community, abducting no fewer than five people. The terrorists also burnt a section of the Church, according to media report. HURIWA said the success recorded by the terrorists is a reminder of the stark reality of the expanding frontiers of undefended and ungoverned spaces in Nigeria just as HURIWA wondered why the Niger State governor hasn’t set up and equipped civilian armed vigilantes in his state to partner with established national security forces to wage war on terrorists.

“We condemn these incessant terrorist attacks on Nigerians and especially we denounce the systematic targeting of Christians and the destruction of their churches just as we call on the Federal Government to act swiftly to put an end to these attacks that have led to the killings of thousands of Nigerians in these needless and bloody attacks.