By George Mgbeleke<\/p>\n
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is outraged by the latest bloodbath unleashed on innocent Nigerians in Otukpo-Nobi and Akpachi communities of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, where no fewer than 16 defenceless citizens, including women and children, were massacred in coordinated pre-dawn attacks by terrorists.
\nThis latest carnage is another painful reminder that human life has become frighteningly cheap in parts of Nigeria because governments have continued to react after every massacre instead of preventing them. The repeated slaughter of innocent citizens can no longer be dismissed as unfortunate incidents; they represent a monumental failure of governance and security.
\nHURIWA extends its deepest condolences to the grieving families and the people of Benue State. We mourn with every community that has buried loved ones whose only crime was living peacefully in their ancestral homes.
\nEnough is enough.
\nThe Federal Government must immediately deploy overwhelming intelligence and security assets to identify, arrest and prosecute every terrorist, financier, collaborator and sponsor behind these coordinated killings. Nigerians are tired of empty assurances, routine condemnations and endless promises that never translate into justice. The killers must be hunted down and made to face the full weight of the law.
\nHURIWA is particularly alarmed that despite more than three years of recurring massacres in Benue and Plateau States, the governors of the two states have not done enough to safeguard the lives and property of their people. Governors Hyacinth Alia and Caleb Mutfwang cannot continue to issue condolences after every attack while communities remain exposed to repeated invasions by armed terrorists.
\nAlthough policing is constitutionally under the control of the Federal Government, governors are the chief security officers of their states and are expected to provide proactive leadership by strengthening intelligence gathering, supporting lawful community-based security initiatives, coordinating closely with security agencies and ensuring that vulnerable communities receive adequate protection before attacks occur\u2014not after innocent citizens have been buried.
\nThe persistent pattern of attacks demonstrates that preventive measures have been grossly inadequate. These recurring massacres expose dangerous gaps in intelligence, surveillance and rapid response that terrorists have continued to exploit with devastating consequences.
\nHURIWA calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to treat the worsening killings in Benue and Plateau as a national security emergency requiring sustained military and intelligence operations until every terrorist network operating in the affected areas is dismantled.
\nWe equally demand an independent and transparent investigation into these repeated attacks to expose those responsible, identify any operational failures and ensure that justice is delivered without delay. The culture of impunity must end.
\nNigeria cannot continue to normalise mass killings. A government that cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens risks eroding public confidence in the very foundations of constitutional democracy.
\nThe blood of innocent Nigerians cries out for justice. History will not be kind to public officials who watch communities bleed while offering little more than words of sympathy. The time for rhetoric has passed. The time for decisive action is now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is outraged by the latest bloodbath unleashed on innocent Nigerians in Otukpo-Nobi and Akpachi communities of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, where no fewer than 16 defenceless citizens, including women and children, were massacred in coordinated pre-dawn attacks by terrorists. This latest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15499","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=15499"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15501,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15499\/revisions\/15501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}