HURIWA BACKS The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) On Holding November 6 governorship election in Anambra State:

Leading Civil Society and Pro-democracy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has thrown her weight behind the insistence of the nation’s electoral umpires the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the November 6th 2021 election as planned inspite of heightened attacks by unknown armed non state actors.

Besides, the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA said it was heartwarming that even when speculations and accusations were rife that the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) had threatened to unleash unprecedented violence to stop the November 6th poll, the officially recognised spokesperson of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra Comrade Emma Powerful is known to have been attributed with the claim in the media that the violence targeting the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission and strategic national security institution and operatives aren’t executed by his organisation but rather that a South East governor was behind the killings so as to render the election inconclusive and to enable the electoral panel to give the victory to the National ruling party of All Progressives Congress which produced the said alleged Igbo sponsor of the spate of attacks in the South East of Nigeria. HURIWA said there was valid reasons to investigate this libe of thoughts. 

HURIWA through the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko therefore says the onus is now on the Federal Government of Nigeria using the law based security and intelligence gathering approaches and strategies to decide and unravel the exact sponsors and executors of the unprecedented bloody violence and targeted killings of Igbo academic and political elites that escalated since preparations for the governorship election in Anambra State intensified. 

The Rights group accused the All Progressives Congress of demonstrating undue avarice and greed to scuttle the peaceful conduct of the anambra state gubernatorial poll going by the high level of committees backed by the federal government set up to help the All Progressives Congress candidate in the Anambra election Mr. Andy Uba to win. 

“HURIWA doesn’t apprehend and comprehend the choreographed state of panic and terrific fears that the so called activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the state may obstruct the conduct of the election when from the official spokesperson of the banned group Nigerians have been told that IPOB won’t undermine the conduct of the election.”  

“It is now becoming clearer that the All Progressives Congress is determined to throw Federal might and manipulate Presidential power and misuse public fund at the disposal of the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to deliver by hook or crook the Anambra state governornirship seat to the All Progressives Congress.”

“The body language of the President and his speeches and the fact that All Progressives Congress has set up nearly 100 men campaign panel made up of over 20 governors and Federal officials shows that the problem facing the smooth conduct of the Anambra state gubernatorial poll is not IPOB but the Federal government and members of the deep state who are plotting and working through the activities of the unknown gunmen to create panic and conflicts in Anambra to scuttle a peaceful, transparent and accountable election to either declare the election inconclusive as was done in Osun and then rig the by-election or to rig it outright and allow the Supreme Court to reinvent the Imo formula in which the person who emerged fourth by INEC was declared the winner by the discredited Supreme Court of Nigeria “.

HURIWA recalled that amidst the uncertainty over the election, Director, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Victor Ayodele Aluko, told the media on Monday that the emergency Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security meeting would among others deliberate on the way forward for the Anambra election.Asked if INEC was considering postponing the election as a result of the insecurity in the state, he said the answer would come after the meeting.

HURIWA said speaking at the meeting, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, assured that the election will not be postponed just as INEC Chief recalled that during the ICCES last quarterly meeting on 9 September 2021, the committee received briefings and reviewed preparations for the election and that a major concern raised by members was the security situation in the state in particular; the adjoining states in general and how this might affect preparations and possibly the conduct of the election.

HURIWA quoted Professor Yakubu as saying thus: “Unfortunately, the situation has deteriorated markedly since our last meeting. Many innocent lives have been lost and property destroyed. From the reports we have received, the stated goal of many of the attackers is that the governorship election scheduled for 6 November 2021 must not hold.This is worrisome for the commission. We are deeply concerned that specific electoral facilities and materials could once more become targets of attack. Recall that in May this year, our State Office at Awka was attacked and all the non-sensitive materials assembled for the election at the time were destroyed.In addition, our store, collation centre and the main office building were either totally or substantially damaged. The Commission also lost several vehicles to be used for the election.

We appreciate the enormous challenges that the security agencies are presently facing in Anambra State, which entail not only securing the electoral process, but also enforcing law and order generally.

This is particularly worrisome because the security agencies have also become prime targets of these mindless attacks.

We will continue to work with the security agencies and in consultation with respected opinion leaders in Anambra State and the National Peace Committee to ensure that these hit-and-run attacks do not derail the electoral process.

To underscore this determination, the commission is implementing two more activities on the Timetable for the election in the next few days. The register of voters will be presented to political parties in Awka on Thursday 7 October 2021. On the same day, the commission will publish the final list of candidates for the election,” 

HURIWA is therefore appealing to the good people of Anambra State to give peace a chance and to actively participate in the November 6th election so as to make their choice of who would salvage their state from perennial underdevelopment and economic insecurity since the last failed 8 failed years of the locusts by the outgoing governor of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).  HURIWA has appealed to the Federal Government to fish out the agents sent by some federal government officials to destabilise South East of Nigeria in order to demarket IPOB and put them at loggerheads with the over 60 million Igbo people Worldwide. 

HURIWA CONDEMNS KILLINGS OF HOUSE OWNERS IN ZARIA BY SOLDIERS

Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group:- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has strongly condemned the reported extralegal killings of about seven house owners in Graceland neighborhood near the federal Aviation School, Samaru Zaria on the instructions of President Muhammadu Buhari and executed by the Kaduna State government with impunity and reckless primitive tendencies. 

The Rights group in a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Director of Media Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said Kaduna state government has committed gross crimes against humanity by using crude force employed by the Nigerian Army to displace genuine or even imagined house owners and thereby killing seven citizens unlawfully.
“We have it on good authority that so far, seven persons have been killed by soldiers who escorted the demolition squad from the Kaduna State government which claimed that the exercise was directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to enable the Aviation college to expand her training facilities within their vicinity. We wonder on which of the legal authority the President of Nigeria Under the Land Use Act of 1978 to order the revocation of property rights of citizens some of whom are citizens that have worked tirelessly to build the economy of Kaduna State”.
“Our attention was called to the ordeals of an octogenarian whose house was crudely demolished in Zaria today’s morning even as he was shoved aside even after pleading with the Kaduna State government that the house was all he has in this life. He was physically, psychologically and emotionally tortured and his property demolished without consideration for his age and the fact that he retired as a Civil Servant after putting in nearly forty years of his productive life. The action of the Kaduna State government is unlawful, unconstitutional, murderous, offensive, despicable and reprehensible. We call on the United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights watch of New York and all persons of good will to condemn these atrocious crimes against humanity by soldiers of the Nigerian Army and to demand efficaciousjustice for those killed unlawfully. We call for the arrest and prosecution of all the operatives and commanders of the Soldiers who directed the killings of innocent citizens whose only offence was seeking to use their persuasive might to defend their property”.
HURIWA cited the provisions of the GrundNorm  the brute and illegal action violated as follows: Section 33 stated thus: 33.  (1) Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria. 34.  (1) Every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly – a)    no person shall be subject to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment; b)   no person shall he held in slavery or servitude; and c)    no person shall be required to perform forced of compulsory labour.  37.    (1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance. (2)     No person attending any place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction or to take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance if such instruction ceremony or observance relates to a religion other than his own, or religion not approved by his parent or guardian. (3)     No religious community or denomination shall be prevented from providing religious instruction for pupils of that community or denomination in any place of education maintained wholly by that community or denomination.  (4)     Nothing in this section shall entitle any person to form, take part in the activity or be a member of a secret society. 40.    (1) A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:- a)    be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; orb)   be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions.

The Rights group has resolved to write the United Nations, European Union and ECOWAS to report both the Kaduna and the federal government over the extralegal killings of the citizens in Zaria. 
 
 
 

Nigerian Soldiers Invade Cross River Community, Brutalise Youths For Rejecting Fulani Herdsmen

Residents of Nde village in the Ikom Local Government Area of Cross Rivers State have lamented that they were brutalised by soldiers over the sacking of Fulani herdsmen who were terrorising the area.

In a video seen by SaharaReporters, residents narrated that the soldiers flogged no fewer than 10 youths for daring to prevent the herders from grazing.

They claimed that the youths “pleaded with the herdsmen” to leave their land after their cattle destroyed almost all their produce.

They added that consequently, soldiers from the Amphibious battalion allegedly arrived in the community and beat the youths mercilessly, leaving them with serious injuries, for asking the herdsmen to leave.

“The herdsmen then went to Edor Army Barracks which is about three kilometers away to report that youths of Nde attacked them and sent them away from the Community.

The herdsmen then went to Edor Army Barracks which is about three kilometers away to report that youths of Nde attacked them and sent them away from the Community.

“Soldiers from the barracks came in truckloads on Sunday, rounded up youths and took them to the barracks, flogged them severely, leaving them injured.

“Our community is currently on fire as military men dehumanised the youths with the intent to provoke us but we pleaded with the herdsmen to leave our land after destroying our crops to avoid further attacks,” a villager said.

The Nigerian Army has yet to officially react to the invasion by its personnel.

(Saharareporters)

Respect Human Rights in Southern Nigeria Military Exercises: HURIWA Tells Army

Following report that the Nigerian Army has launched multiple military exercises covering the Southern Nigeria aimed at checking the excessive cases of attacks targeting strategic national security institutions/ personnel and the killing of civilians by unknown gunmen, abd crimes, a call has gone to the military high command to abide by rules of engagement, respect for Human Rights of civilians and adherence to the principles of Rule of law.

HURIWA has also tasked the Nigerian Army not to work under a bandwagon conspiratorial plots that the attacks and killings are carried out by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra but the Army must be open minded, look inwards and investigate the possibility that these attacks may have been masterminded by federal government officials and some governors of the South East of Nigeria who may want to undermine the public acceptance and popularity of the agitation for self determination as canvassed by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra.  HURIWA expressed consternation that in the past few months many innocent Igbo youths have been killed, arrested, incarcerated and tortured by the security forces under the guise that all Igbo youths are members of IPOB just as the Rights group said even members of IPOB or ESN are entitled to the full protection of the law and therefore must never be killed extralegally by the armed forces of Nigeria which is an institution created by the GrundNorm.  

Making the charge is the nation’s leading civil society group:- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) just as the group has proffered workable solution to the rising uprising in the South East which according to it would include the recommendation by the South East governors to the president of Nigeria to lift the illegal tagging/classification of the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group and to order the release of the detained leader of IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the institution of a genuine National reconciliation and dialogue for South East of Nigeria by both the central government and the South East governors.
“The South East governors should begin by rescinding their ill-informed and malicious decision to recognize IPOB as a terrorist group after which the governors of the South East should openly recommend to president Muhammadu Buhari the deproscription of IPOB as a terrorist group as condition precedent for peace. HURIWA said it is mischievous that the same IPOB that operates freely in Europe and the United States of America are classified as a terrorist group by President Muhammadu Buhari who has yet to classify MIYETTI ALLAH CATTLE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION and Fulani herdsmen as terrorists “. 
Besides, HURIWA through a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Adviser Miss. Zainab Yusuf, has also tasked the South East governors to hire forensic private investigators so the forensic criminologists can ascertain the members of the deep state carrying out attacks on strategic national security institution and operatives and the sporadic but well coordinates assassinations of Igbo citizens.
HURIWA has therefore restated her position that IPOB is not behind the spate of violence in South East since the majority of the victims are the finest crop of Igbo people just as the group suspected that some key officials of the federal government may be funding the violence. HURIWA thereby reminds the military of their legal obligations in all internal military operations thus: “Nigerian Armed Forces when deployed for either internal or external operations, are bound by the laws of war and international law in the conduct of the operations. The laws regulate and limit the conduct of operations by acting as checks against arbitrary use of force. They are intended to minimize unnecessary suffering by combatants and non- combatants during war. The laws of war and international law are therefore sources of military law in Nigeria and include the following:
a. The four Geneva Conventions of 1949.
b. The two Additional Protocols of 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
c. Multilateral and bilateral agreements to which Nigeria is a signatory and have bearing on military service or operations.
d. The decisions of:
1.  The International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague.
2.  Ad hoc war crimes tribunals set up by or with the backing of the UN Security Council.
(3) The International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague.”
 
HURIWA says thus: “The four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of war victims are as follows:
a. Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field.
 
b. Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked
members of Armed Forces at Sea.
c.  Geneva Convention Relative to the Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of war.
 
d.   Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of
War”. 
The two Additional Protocols of 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 are to supplement the 1949.
Geneva Conventions and modernize the laws of war.
Protocol I deals with the laws of war in international armed conflicts while Protocol 2 addresses the laws of war applicable in internal armed conflicts.
It is nóteworthy that the four Geneva Conventions and the two additional Protocols of 1977 have been formally given effect in Nigeria by the enactment of the Geneva Conventions Act Cap G3 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. In sum, the Conventions and Protocols which are now an Act of the National Assembly, elaborately spell out the laws of armed conflicts on the use of force and the legal implication of disregarding rules regulating the means and methods of warfare, among other things. Specifically, section 3 of the Act provides a plethora of safeguides. 

The Rights group therefore asked the military not to apply excessive use of brute force or to torture innocent people in the South East of Nigeria just as it reminded the Nigerian Army that all eyes are watching them and they will be subjected to international legal reprimand should they abuse human rights.
 
 

Blacker Days For Christians in Kaduna State

By

Beevan Magoni

For over twenty years, Kaduna state has been divided into two. No neutral grounds. You are either on the Christian side or Muslim side and as much as we try to be neutral, we hardly can. It gives us the joy to see the other side suffering. It gives us reasons to pray to God and say “Hallelujah” or “Allahu Akbar.”

Yesterday, last night to be precise, Graceland, a retirees settlement in Zaria was demolished by the Kaduna state government. This settlement is owned by A.B.U and other institutions’ Christian retirees who had served these schools diligently for over thirty years, made their retirement plans by buying and building on pieces of land in this popular Christian-dominated neighborhood.

The College of Aviation Technology claims to own the lands that these people invested in long ago. While the case is in court, on Saturday evening, they got the news that they have just 24 hours to vacate their houses as the government was coming to demolish them. No prior notification. Nothing. Just like that, and last night was it. Demolished.

Reaching out to a friend this morning, she said, “Daddy bought that piece of land when we were in Primary School. He served in A.B.U’s senate for 35 years, and upon retirement built that house where he and our mother stay. Two nights ago, he saw in the news that the settlement is about to be demolished.

“This morning, they had demolished our neighbors, and when they got to ours, they asked Daddy to go remove his windows, doors, and ceiling fans before demolition continues. In the next 30 minutes or so, hour beautiful home would be gone forever!’

She went on to say, “El Rufai has never added value to the common man. He hates poor people. He hates the common man. Right from Abuja to Kaduna, he respects no one, most especially if you are a Christian and a minority. Pains and sorrow everywhere!”

True, as victims of the atrocities of El Rufai, I wish everyone was able to unite like the NLC and call his bluff to his face. But you see, he is a tactician. He is good at dividing the people and pitching them against one another.

Churches, schools, houses owned by Christian minorities are being demolished in Northern Kaduna. Bandits are kidnapping school children, and ransacking homes for who to kidnap in Kaduna Central, while the rest of Southern Kaduna is under 247 continues unprovoked attacks with a forecast of famine in the coming months.

The Bible says, when the righteous rules, the people rejoice, but as unfortunate as it sounds, while the issue of polarization on the basis of ethnic and religious divides is rife in Kaduna state, everyone, who is a nobody is at the receiving end of it, because of the policies of his Excellency, Governor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State.

Hall Of Shame

Buhari Spoke About IPOB, Igboho’s Sponsors, Didn’t Mention Boko Haram Financiers – Activist, Adeyanju

A human rights activist and convener of the Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju has said President Muhammadu Buhari needs prayers for saying his administration has performed better than previous democratic governments since 1999.

He criticised Buhari for speaking about the discovery of the alleged sponsors of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu and Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, and failing to talk about the sponsors of Boko Haram terrorists, who have killed thousands of Nigerians and displaced millions.

Adeyanju added that it was inconceivable to see that Buhari applauded the military personnel who have failed to defend the territorial integrity of the nation.

The activist noted that North-West Nigeria and the Middle Belt have been completely ravaged by terrorism and banditry, yet the President praised the Army for its failure to combat these criminals.

Adeyanju said this while reacting to Buhari’s speech on October 1 to commemorate the 61st Independence Anniversary of Nigeria.

The statement, titled, ‘Buhari mocked Nigerians with his Independence Day speech –Adeyanju’, was obtained by SaharaReporters on Friday.

It said, “The whole country knows that this is the worst government in the history of our nation.

“It is beyond sad to hear president Buhari commending the military for failure in his Independence Day speech. The North West, North Central and almost the entire country is almost a NO-GO AREA due to widespread insecurity. Terrorist groups control over 10 local government areas in the president’s home state of Katsina and collect taxes from residents openly and unchallenged.

“So many people who were killed by terrorists in Southern Kaduna were buried yesterday. Dora Akunyili’s husband was gunned down recently in the South-East yet the president praises the military for failure.

“The president also said he has discovered sponsors of IPOB and Oduduwa agitators but failed to talk about sponsors of Boko Haram that Dubai revealed recently because they are from his zone.

“The president apparently needs prayers for saying his administration is the best since 1999 and that Nigerians have never had it so good. It is unthinkable that the president of a nation should openly peddle so much falsehood as Buhari has just done. 

“For context, cooking gas is N7,200 from N3,000 in 2015. $1 is N575 from N200 in 2015. The list goes on and on of the inflation records of the current administration. Nigeria has fallen completely to terrorist groups. This is a government that kills protesters but negotiate with terrorists.”

(Saharareporters)

BREAKING: Six Feared Dead As Soldiers, Policemen Open Fire on Shiites In Abuja

Gunshots from security agents rented the air in Gwarinpa Estate along the Kubwa Expressway in Abuja on Tuesday, as members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shi’ites and security agents clashed.

Six persons were reportedly killed in the incident while many sustained injuries.

Joint security operatives were said to have opened fire on members of the sect when they were about to round off their Arbaeen Symbolic Trek.

The incident, which occurred at the Gwarinpa gate near Galadimawa when the gun-wielding security agents arrived at the scene, threw the trek into confusion as people scampered for safety.

Two people were also said to be shot at a new generation bank inside the estate.

The Secretary of Academic Forum of IMN, Abdullahi Musa, also confirmed the incident when contacted by SaharaReporters.

“They are just shooting people. As I am talking to you now, six people have been killed. They even carried some dead bodies away,” he said.

Members of the sect had on Tuesday morning come out in continuation of their procession to mark the fortieth day of the murder of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad who was killed on 10th Muharram.

The protesters in their numbers hoisted two flags, one red and the other black, with the chanting songs.

(Saharareporters)

EXCLUSIVE: Gruesome Murder of Reverend Shuaibu Yohanna and the Dangers of Being A Christian in Kano and Northern Nigeria in General

By Steven Kefas

When Gideon Akaluka, an Igbo trader was gruesomely murdered and dismembered in Kano on the 26th of December, 1994 by some irate muslim youths, some of whom prison authority said scaled the fence of the Goron Dutse prison in the ancient city of Kano to carry out the barbaric act, many like myself where toddlers or were not even born and didn’t have any knowledge of what the scenario looked like on that day.

Even though the murder of Akaluka may have been forgotten by many, recent events that have to do with religious killings in the Northern city of Kano bring to mind what happened in the past, what is happening today and what may likely happen in the future if nothing drastic is done.

On the night of 22nd September, 2021 Christians who are minority in Kano were visited with the news of another gruesome and barbaric murder of a Christian missionary by name Reverend Shuaibu Yohanna who until his death was the chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Sumaila Local government area of Kano state.  His murder is a reminder to the fact that Christians are now an endangered species in Northern Nigeria.

The slain Reverend, a Northeastern Evangelist of the New life Church, lived in a village called Massu in Sumaila local government area of Kano state with his wife and children. 

Testimonies abound about his exploits in the vineyard of the Lord. Mobilising funds to build schools, providing potable water to both Christians and Muslims in his community.

His good works couldn’t make him immune to the barbarity of the Kano Muslim youths who at the slightest or no provocation descend on their victims with utmost cruelty even before ascertaining their guilt.

Reverend Shuaibu, believed to have facilitated the conversion of many Muslims in the area to Christianity met his untimely death when some muslim youths, over 50 in numbers according to his daughter, accosted him and began butchering him like ram to be used for barbecue.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that the Missionary was killed because, one of his converts who recently got converted but neither attends church service nor mosque had a fight with his sister in-law (brother’s wife) and he hit her with a piston and she died.

Why would Reverend Shuaibu pay for a crime he didn’t commit? Why wasn’t he given the opportunity of being tried by a court of competent jurisdiction? These are questions begging for answers.

Just like Reverend Shuaibu, 74 years old Mrs Bridget Agbaheme was on the 2nd of June, 2016 beheaded by some muslims in Kano for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammad.

Mrs Agbaheme, who sells plastics at the local market, was in the company of her husband when she was murdered.

According to some eyewitnesses, Mrs Agbaheme’s only crime was refusing a Muslim co-trader from performing ablution at the entrance of her shop, an act the Muslims in the market deemed blasphemous and punishable by death.

The suspects responsible for her murder were eventually, reluctantly arrested but instead of facing the capital punishment for murder, the five suspects were on 3rd November, 2016 released from detention. At a court session on the day if their release, the Chief magistrate, Mr. Jibrin Muhammad discharged the five suspects and terminated the case ‘in line with the directive of the attorney-general of Kano state’.

The Kano state government also failed to tell Nigerians why the suspects were not arraigned before a higher court considering the gravity of the offence.

Few days after the murder of Mrs Agbaheme, a carpenter by name Francis Emmanuel, 41, was stabbed  by some youths along Sokoto Road in Kakuri area of Kaduna South on Tuesday for not participating in the ongoing fast accoeding to a dailytrust publication of June 9, 2016.

Francis, a witness said, had gone to buy food from a woman along the road in the afternoon after taking a break from his cabinet making work when four young men accosted him as he was eating and asked him why he was not fasting.

A fight soon ensued after some exchanges and one of the four boys was said to have brought out a dagger and stabbed Francis in several parts of his body.

Even though the Kaduna state government condemned the attack on Francis and also a high powered delegation led by the governor, El-rufai and the then Deputy Governor, Bala Bantex went to see Francis in the hospital, no suspect was arrested.

One month after the gruesome murder of Mrs Bridget Agbaheme, in July 2016, a 42 years old Christian preacher and mother of seven, Eunice Elisha in Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory. Kubwa is just about 20 minutes drive from the Presidential villa in Abuja.  Mrs Elisha had on the day of her killing gone out topreach the gospel like she does every MORNING, unfortunately she met her untimely death in the hands of Muslim fanatics.

Suspects were arrested by the police but like in the case of Mrs Agbaheme, they were released by the police in Abuja in January 2017. The police concealed the identities of the suspects all through the investigation and said they were released because they could not be linked to the murder.

“What happened is that when the incident occurred, arrests were made. But during the course of the investigation we found that the persons arrested could not be linked to the said murder. And we cannot keep them if we do not have any case against them,” Mr. Anjuguri told PREMIUM TIMES on January 14th, 2017.

“They were released under the condition that they will be invited for questioning whenever the need arises. The commissioner has instructed the Divisional Police Officer for that region to intensify efforts on the matter; the case has not been closed. The investigation is still ongoing,” said Mr. Anjuguri.

The police claimed that the suspects could not be linked to the murder of Evangelist Eunice Elisha contradicts her earlier statement that the suspects were helping in the investigation.

Nigeria, theoretically ought to be a secular state with freedom of religion and other forms of association guaranteed by the constitution but that is not the reality as Christians are oftentimes attacked either as a community or individuals.

Hundreds of Christian communities in Northern Nigeria have been held under siege by Fulani terrorists. Killings of Christians in genocidal proportion have continued unabated with no one being prosecuted for such crimes against humanity. The Nigerian Fulani government headed by Maj. Gen. Muhammad Buhari Rtd has done nothing serious to put an end to the carnages against Christians in the Northern part of the country.

With the Nigerian government’s poor handling of the crisis, the international community must as a matter of urgency begin to call out the Nigerian state for abating genocides in the country.

EFCC ‘Enticing’ Nigerians To Protest:- HURIWA ALLEGES

Calls on EFCC to operate within legal precepts

The leading CIVIL SOCIETY GROUP- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the illegal and gestapo operational modalities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which are detrimental to the enjoyment of the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights recognised in chapter four, and all relevant international human rights laws just as the Rights group says the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (HURIWA) are by their provocative and illegal actions enticing Nigerians to stage a nationwide protests similar to the #ENDSARS PROTESTS # against the misconducts of the EFCC.

“The EFCC is a creation of the law and so it must be law abiding but the modalities of operations in which the operatives armed to the teeth go into people’s houses in the dead of the night like armed robbers and kidnappers, breaking into people’s houses and climbing in through the fences  like hired assasins are antithetical to the law and the principle of the rule of law and these unlawful actions are definitely aimed as triggers to instigate the masses to stage the kinds of demonstrations that will be almost unprecedented in dimension and massive in scale. 

The Rights group through the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said Section 36(5) of the constitution is very clear that even persons charged for criminal offence before the courts of law are deemed as innocent in the eyes of the law until a contrary determination is reached by the competent court of law. It is therefore unlawful that the operatives of the EFCC will continue to behave like outlaws or persons who are above the laws of the land.  EFCC is subject to the law and must be seen to be operating in compliance with the precepts of the law and in strict compliance with the RULE OF LAW”. 

HURIWA said there have been over a dozen clandestine operations by the EFCC in which these officials of the law have been seen defecating on the fundamental principles of the law and have abused with reckless abandon the Rules of Engagement as if Nigeria is a Banana Republic and these kinds of crude, debased and bakward application of brute force by the operatives of the EFCC are therefore absolutely condemned as despicable, reprehensible,  outrageous and provocative and must be checked otherwise the EFCC should watch and see that in the fullness of time the masses will demonstrate to say enough is enough. 

This same EFCC is around when the President gives red carpets reception to suspected high profile politically exposed persons who jump from one political party to the All Progressives Congress but the EFCC has now become agents of witch-hunt targeting largely young offenders and this body has started operating as if it is a reckless, lawless and primitive contraption but this is not so. The EFCC must be called to order to adopt law based procedures to go after suspected offenders and observe all the tenets and precepts of the fundamental human rights and indeed must adopt clinical and professional modus operandi that will be in compliance with all the rules of Engagement. Why not use surveillance and intelligence gathering to go after suspected offenders in the day time and make lawful arrests instead of behaving like armed robbers or armed Fulani militia members?”

HURIWA recalled that Norah Okafor, a journalist, has narrated how officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stormed her residence at an ungodly hour.

In a social media post, Okafor said masked men robed in black and armed to the teeth stormed her apartment like armed robbers, at exactly 1:36 am on Thursday.

She said they destroyed properties, assaulted residents, and forcefully collected car keys, mobile phones, and computers.

“At exactly 1:36am, I was alerted by my brother that there were armed robbers at my gate trying to make their way into the compound. Because it was an electric fence, I didn’t bother enough because I felt they can’t make their way in.

“Alas, I was wrong. 2am on the dot they made their way into the compound. They came prepared. Over 25 of them with two hilux buses, masked and dressed in black upon black.

“A huge one climbed the fence, with a plier and immediately cut off a few of the wires, jumped into the compound and with an axe, broke the gate key open and zoom they made their first entry into my apartment.

“As a nude sleeper, while they tried to make their way into the compound, I found something to wear while my brothers and I were thinking of a way of escape. The worst case scenario for me is that they will rape or take the only valuable available (a car key) so I prepared my mind.

“The next thing I realized was that about 7 of them were already in my room with shouts of “lie down, face down, on the light, where’s your phone, where’s your car key? Where’s this and that.. Confused me. Seeing over 25 hefty men with different kinds of guns, mhen, e don be, be that. I handed the phone to them with the key, before then, they have already taken hold of my laptop.

“I turned to be sure these were armed robbers, and they asked for my passwords to all the devices collected with masking tape to identify each. Still in shock, I heard someone destroying everything in the kitchen, my room, that of my brothers and all the drawers. I was still asking myself what’s happening? They asked me to stand and follow them downstairs, lo and beyond, they unmasked themselves, hmmmm… are these kind criminals? I asked. All my neighbours were already going through the same pain as I.

“They have already given my brothers a beating of their lives, carried my neighbour downstairs and tried unlocking all the cars in the compound. And after searching all the phones and laptops, three of their men walked in, lo and behold, it was EFCC. What? I screamed. Shut up, was the next thing i heard and when they couldn’t open my phone, they asked me to, I did and after a while I just asked, please where is your office so I can come pick up my things on my way to work, they asked me what I do and I said “journalist”, asked my neighbour he said “lawyer”, the other “doctor”. They looked at me, handed over the phones and said, “we just wasted our time.

“These fools, spent over one hour molesting and destroying things in this compound. I feel so pained and embarrassed right now. Is this how EFCC operate? How did we get here? Who is the informant? I am just confused right now. Thank God my mum isn’t here.”

HURIWA recalled too that the Economic and Financial crimes commission, EFCC, allegedly invaded the house of the Big brother Naija celebrity, Dorathy Bachor.

Dorathy, who emerged the 1st runner up of the Big Brother Naija, Lockdown season, condemned the act.

Expressing her anger via a post on her Instagram page, the busty Delta state indigene shared some pictures of the supposed EFCC officials.

Operatives of the EFCC on Tuesday violently seized access cards and broke into hotel rooms in an overnight raid in Lagos, Peoples Gazette has learnt.

Dozens of hotel guests were left traumatised after anti-graft agents breached their privacy at Parktonian Hotel in Lagos affluent Lekki neighbourhood, witnesses said.

Many of the guests, including couples, were passing the night at the mid-size hotel when EFCC agents broke in at about 4:00 a.m. Some of them said they were naked under the duvet when agents broke in and were not even allowed to dress up before being interrogated by the officers, who said they were on a manhunt for suspected Internet fraudsters.

“The officers broke into my hotel room as I was sleeping,” a victim told The Gazette on Tuesday afternoon. “The incident that played out was just too traumatic for me to narrate.”

The witness said the officers started breaking into rooms after collecting the master access card to open all rooms from the management at gunpoint.

“They broke into the hotel and threatened to shoot the receptionists and management if they didn’t immediately release the master access card to them,” a witness said. “So the hotel workers had to comply immediately.”

Another witness who narrated his ordeal described it as “embarrassing and traumatising,” as he was unclad when operatives barged into the room.

Many foreigners, including some potential investors who came into the country to carry out preliminary studies on a cable manufacturing project, were caught in what witnesses described as “violent and uncivilised conduct” of the operatives, who were about two dozen.

The victim pleaded strict anonymity to avoid being victimised by EFCC agents. Some witnesses had previously reported being physically attacked by EFCC operatives for providing information about illegal and corrupt raids to the media.

“They continued to search other rooms. They went away with about 13 occupants,” he said. “I was naked, and I had to beg them (for me) to put something on. I am actually hypertensive, but I put myself together because I am not a criminal in any way.”

He described the experience as “embarrassing and traumatic,” noting that “nobody wants to sleep in a hotel where their privacy and security cannot be guaranteed.”

The witness added, “I am not going back to that hotel. They won’t go to Transcorp where people who are looting Nigeria’s money are staying.”

The hotel owner, Obinna Obiora, told The Gazette that he would comment on the matter later. The Gazette could not immediately confirm whether or not the officers had a warrant to invade the hotel.

When contacted by The Gazette, the spokesperson for the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, claimed he was unaware of the raid.

“I haven’t got any report of such, but I’ll confirm from the Lagos office if there was any raid,” Mr Uwujaren told The Gazette over the telephone.

Controversial raids of public and private spaces have become increasingly common amongst EFCC officers in recent months. The department was established to fight economic crimes, but it has recently retooled itself towards a relentless crackdown on suspected Internet thieves, widely known as Yahoo Boys.

Earlier this year, an unidentified man jumped from the seventh floor of a storey building located at 1004 estate at Victoria Island, Lagos, during a raid by EFCC officials.

Few  weeks back,  a similar incident played out at Oasis Park Estate, Osapa London, Lagos, where EFCC operatives frightened residents when they broke into homes in search of a purported Internet crook, who was not even around at the time of the raid.  

HURIWA accused the EFCC of not just violating the laws but also abusing with reckless abandon the UN declaration on adherence to the Rule of law.

HURIWA said the midnight raids by EFCC offends the Declaration adopted on 24 September 2012 by the United Nations General Assembly at the High-level Meeting on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels reaffirmed that “human rights, the rule of law and democracy are interlinked and mutually reinforcing and that they belong to the universal and indivisible core values and principles of the United Nations”.1 Indeed, government responsiveness to the interests and needs of the greatest number of citizens is strictly associated with the capacity of democratic institutions and processes to bolster the dimensions of rights, equality and accountability.

If considered not solely an instrument of the government but as a rule to which the entire society, including the government, is bound, the rule of law is fundamental in advancing democracy. Strengthening the rule of law has to be approached not only by focusing on the application of norms and procedures. One must also emphasize its fundamental role in protecting rights and advancing inclusiveness, in this way framing the protection of rights within the broader discourse on human development.

A common feature of both democracy and the rule of law is that a purely institutional approach does not say anything about actual outcomes of processes and procedures, even if the latter are formally correct. When addressing the rule of law and democracy nexus, a fundamental distinction has to be drawn between “rule by law”, whereby law is an instrument of government and government is considered above the law, and “rule of law”, which implies that everyone in society is bound by the law, including the government. Essentially, constitutional limits on power, a key feature of democracy, require adherence to the rule of law.

EXCLUSIVE: Pay N130,000 Registration fee or Shutdown- Kaduna state gov. Tells Orphanages

Orphanages operating in Kaduna state have been asked to pay an exorbitant sum of N130,000 for ‘registration’ or have their facilities shutdown by the state government.

An orphanage operator in Kaduna who craved anonymity to avoid persecution told Middle Belt Times that the state government even gave them deadline which they must all pay the money.

“They gave us one week to pay the money, they said it is for registration and certificate.

“We are only offering charity services to the society and humanity, where do they expect us to raise such a huge sum from? We are not revenue generating organisations.”He said.

The orphanages claimed they have been duly registered with the corporate affairs commission, the body saddled with the responsibility of registering business and NGOs in the country.

Another orphanage operator who also craved anonymity, confirmed the development to MBT. He said the development has forced many of them to go and borrow money to pay to avoid being shutdown by the government.

When asked whether any letter or circular was issued to them in that regard, they said no letter was given instead they were called to a meeting organized by the Kaduna state Ministry of Human services and social development.

When contacted via WhatsApp message to comment on the development, the Kaduna state Commissioner for Human services and social development, Hajiya Hafsat Baba responded thus;

“Good morning, if you want me to grant interview pls meet me in the office. Thank you.” She said