Pro-democracy advocate, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to treat masterminds of Monday’s arson attacks in some local government headquarters in Rivers State as terrorists.
The rights group also condemned the Rivers state police command and the DSS for their colossal failures and inaction which permitted the coordinated attacks.
HURIWA expressed disappointment that the security forces, primarily the police, which has the elementary duty of internal security and even the DSS whose officers are mandated to generate actionable intelligence failed to nip the callous attacks in the bud, even as it blamed the arson on individuals who are aggrieved that local council poll took place in Rivers state.
HURIWA in a statement issued by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said that “both security agencies did nothing to prevent the massive invasion of local councils by armed political terrorists sponsored to instigate crisis in Rivers state as a prelude to their plots for a state of emergency which in any even can’t lead to the demolition of democratic structures put in place after 2023 poll which promised the current government in Rivers state.”
HURIWA recalled that suspected political terrorists had set ablaze a newly built section of the council secretariat, located at Isiokpo in the Ikwerre Local Government area.
” The group is urging security forces to treat the attackers as terrorists and apply the counter-terrorism law in crushing the uprising.
” This is coming barely 24 hours after the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, swore in 23 chairmen elected in Saturday’s local government election in the state.”
HURIWA recalled that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Monday, directed the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to unseal the local government secretariats and withdraw personnel stationed at the councils across the state.
HURIWA said that the blame for any turmoil in Rivers should be on the security forces that by law are mandated to secure lives and property of the citizenry including public buildings just as the Rights group charged the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that political terrorists are not continuously unleashed on Rivers state.
The rights group also demanded that “the DSS must fish out those economic and political terrorists responsible for the reported coordinated attacks of public buildings belonging to local councils and the good people of Rivers State.”
HURIWA condemned the police for initially announcing that they were withdrawing their services in Rivers state during the Saturday poll which understandably was condemned massively by cross sections of Nigerians including the Nigerian Bar Association and lovers of democracy.
“HURIWA is therefore calling on politicians to give peace a chance and follow the law just as the Rights group said the institutions of law enforcement must never be seen to take political position or treat any politicians no matter how influential or powerful as being above the law or else anarchy would be let loose in Nigeria. It stayed that those who set local council edifice on fire are to be treated as political terrorists who arent different from boko haram terrorists.”
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