By George Mgbeleke <\/p>\n
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has issued a blistering condemnation of the Nigerian Army over what it describes as the \u201cbrazen kidnapping\u201d of social media activist Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as \u201cJustice Crack,\u201d declaring the action a direct assault on Nigeria\u2019s Constitution and a chilling sign of creeping militarism.<\/p>\n
In a sharply worded statement, HURIWA dismissed the Army\u2019s explanation as \u201cafterthought justification,\u201d insisting that no amount of official framing can disguise what it called \u201ca crude, unlawful abduction carried out in broad daylight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet Nigerians be clear: this was not an arrest. This was a kidnapping by men in uniform,\u201d the group declared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWHO GAVE THE ARMY THE POWER TO ABDUCT CIVILIANS?\u201d<\/p>\n
HURIWA fired a barrage of questions at the military hierarchy:
\nWhy was a civilian seized by soldiers instead of being invited by lawful civil authorities?
\nWhat specific law authorises the Army to pick up citizens on \u201cnebulous grounds\u201d?
\nWhen did expressing opinions on troop welfare become a military offence?
\nThe group warned that the Army\u2019s conduct has collapsed the line between lawful enforcement and criminal abduction, creating a dangerous environment where citizens no longer feel safe\u2014even from those sworn to protect them.<\/p>\n
FREE SPEECH UNDER SIEGE
\nAt the heart of the controversy is Chidiebere\u2019s alleged \u201coffence\u201d: speaking about the welfare of Nigerian troops fighting insurgency.
\nHURIWA described this as a legitimate civic duty\u2014not a crime, accusing the Army of attempting to weaponise national security to silence dissent.
\n\u201cIf the information is false, respond with facts\u2014not force. Bullets and abductions are not tools of public communication,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSOLDIERS NOW ACTING LIKE KIDNAPPERS?\u201d
\nIn one of its most explosive assertions, HURIWA warned that the Army\u2019s actions mirror the same tactics used by criminal kidnapping gangs terrorising Nigerians:<\/p>\n
Sudden seizure without notice
\nAbsence of due process:<\/p>\n
Detention outside lawful frameworks
\n\u201cWhen soldiers begin to act like kidnappers, the state loses its moral authority to fight actual kidnappers,\u201d HURIWA warned.
\nNATIONAL SECURITY OR RAW ABUSE OF POWER?
\nWhile the Army claims the activist was involved in acts capable of inciting discontent within the ranks, HURIWA dismissed the justification as \u201cdangerously elastic and open to abuse.\u201d
\nThe group insisted that national security cannot be used as a blanket excuse for illegality, warning that such reasoning opens the door to authoritarian excesses.
\nULTIMATUM ISSUED
\nHURIWA issued a set of hard demands:
\nImmediate and unconditional release of the activist<\/p>\n
Full disclosure of the legal basis for his arrest*<\/p>\n
Disciplinary action against officers involved*
\nA binding commitment to end military interference in civilian affairs
\n\u201cTHIS IS HOW DEMOCRACIES DIE\u201d
\nIn its closing salvo, HURIWA warned that Nigeria is inching toward a dangerous tipping point where the rule of law is replaced by the rule of force.
\n\u201cToday it is one activist. Tomorrow it could be any Nigerian. This is how democracies die\u2014when guns override the Constitution,\u201d the group declared.
\nThe rights body vowed to mobilise legal, civic, and public pressure until what it called \u201cthis culture of impunity is decisively confronted.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has issued a blistering condemnation of the Nigerian Army over what it describes as the \u201cbrazen kidnapping\u201d of social media activist Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as \u201cJustice Crack,\u201d declaring the action a direct assault on Nigeria\u2019s Constitution and a chilling sign of creeping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12315,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-crime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13265"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13266,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13265\/revisions\/13266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}