By Fehintola Adewale, Abuja Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), yesterday, expressed worries that Nigerian Securi...
By Fehintola Adewale,
Abuja
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA),
yesterday, expressed worries that Nigerian Security Agencies are misplacing
their priority by confronting and killing unarmed members of the Indigenous
People of Biafra (IPOB) while allowing Fulani terrorists in the North West and
elements of the Boko Haram terrorists to continuously launch deadly attacks in
the North West, Niger State of Nigeria, Adamawa in the North East and Kogi
State.
HURIWA also accused President Muhammadu Buhari of selective
justice by spending taxpayers’ funds to rehabilitate and pardon hardened Boko
Haram terrorists responsible for the killings of over 30,000 citizens including
women and children, while the killings of totally unarmed members of the
proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra in the South East of Nigeria persists.
HURIWA wondered why Security Agencies are fixated about a
bunch of boys under the auspices of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra
(IPOB) and constantly dishing out warnings to deal with Igbo youths whereas
Fulani terrorists are allowed to go on the rampage in parts of Northern Nigeria
killing, maiming and destroying lives and properties including the kidnapping
and killings of pastors and students in Kaduna and Kogi State.
The association, therefore, challenged the Government to
launch a successful rescue mission to bring out some Northern female students
abducted by North West terrorists since the last eight months.
“It is a crying shame that Nigeria has a functional
government that falsely prides itself as the giant of Africa but rag-tag
terrorists and Islamic rebels are allowed to kill at will. Terrorists being
allowed to continue to expand their frontiers of attacks on soft targets
including school girls whom they routinely raid their dormitories to kidnap”
HURIWA recalled that eight months after the abduction of 80
students from the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, in Kebbi State,
more than 10 of them are still in captivity despite payment of ransom and
prisoner swap, at different times.
The rights group quoting dependable media sources, also
reliably gathered that no fewer than 13 of the female students were married off
to bandits with some of them already pregnant. Bandits loyal to a kingpin, Dogo
Gide, ransacked the school on June 17, last year, and left with dozens of
students and five teachers of the federal government-owned mixed boarding
school.
HURIWA alleged that between 11 and 14 of the students are
still being held captive with only one of them a male, stressing that more students
of Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna are still being held by their
abductors.
HURIWA recalled that at least 10 schools abductions were
recorded last year as bandits’ gangs targeted schools in Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger
and Kebbi states. The abductions followed the first of such attacks by bandits
in December 2020 when a gang led by one Auwal Daudawa attacked the Government
Science Secondary School, Kankara, in Katsina State, and abducted over 200
students.
According to the body, the FGC Yauri attack, which occurred
less than 20 days after the mass abduction of pupils from Salihu Tanko
Islamiyya School, Tegina, Niger State, caused a stir and raised concerns among
stakeholders about the safety of students, especially in schools around areas
affected by security challenges.
“Immediately after the abduction, HURIWA learnt that a few
of the victims were retrieved by security forces while others were released by
the bandits as part of negotiation talks.
“Dozens of the abductees were subsequently released in two
batches to negotiators in October and January. The terrorist group, Boko Haram,
had meted out similar treatment to captors, notably the Chibok girls abducted
in 2014.
“The girls were said to be given out to bandits and a few
interested persons living in villages around areas controlled by Gide, along
the boundary between Niger and Zamfara states.
The bandits’ kingpin is holding on to two of the students
despite receiving huge amounts in ransom and two of his men freed as part of
negotiations in October, as reported by Daily Trust at the time.”
HURIWA, therefore, expressed strong reservations that
whereas the well-armed and sophisticated terrorists of Fulani ethnicity are
successfully taken in several hostages in many States, the government, on
Monday, issued a stern warning to violent groups across the country to desist
from threatening the sovereignty of the nation, stating that the army would do
everything within its power to contain all forms of threats against Nigeria.
It urged the Government to pay more attention and focus on
eradicating Boko haram terrorists, and Fulani terrorists in the North West and
rescuing school children kidnapped by terrorists rather than getting
unnecessarily fixated on Igbo youths who are completely unarmed.
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