__Regrets that the Nigerian Government treats some Ethnic minorities like they don’t matter demographically
Civil rights advocacy group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the decision of the police to hastily conclude that the pure act of terrorism and hate crime committed by a lone truck driver that violently crashed into an Easter Day procession in Gombe state is an accident just as the Rights group wondered where the officers and men of the Road Safety Commission, the Police and the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps were at the time of the terror attack that they allowed the predetermined terrorism against Christian worshippers in Gombe state to happen.
“HURIWA which condemned the security forces and the federal government for treating certain ethnic minorities especially in the North like they matter less in demographics, said it was totally despicable that in a religiously charged and tensed state such as Gombe state with a history of unprovoked attacks against Christians, that a terrorist driving a truck was allowed to run over scores of Christians who were only displaying their religious belief system and then for the Nigeria Police Force without any scintilla of forensic and extensive and thorough investigation has already dismissed this likely well planned and unprovoked act of terrorism as a mere accident. The President of the Federation should really wake up from slumber and take concrete measures to provide equal security for all Nigerians irrespective of Ethno-religious affiliations.”
“How on earth would the Nigeria police simply guess that an overspeeding truck that crashed into a crowd of people holding an Easter procession early Monday, killing five and injuring 13 others in Nigeria’s northern state of Gombe, is an accident? From the video evidence, the road in which these Christians were holding their procession was absolutely free of vehicular traffic and the road which is well constructed and has no pot-holes is such that even if a blind and drunk driver is coming, he could very well see the large crowd that was on the road. And what is chasing the driver that he had to overspeed in such a way that he crashed intentionally into the crowds of Christians and then the police hastily concluded that it was an accident? This is a conspiracy of the highest order against Christians and is absolutely intolerable and despicable.
“What kind of accident is that? Is the Nigeria Police unaware that Islamic terrorists in many European nations have recently used the same methods of attacks against large congregations of Europeans especially in Germany and the police in those European nations rightly investigated thoroughly and discovered a nexus between terrorists networks in the middle East and those deadly attackers pretending to be drivers?
HURIWA condemned the Federal Road Safety Commission, the other security forces such as the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps including even the regular Nigeria Army for not been on that road at the time of this religious gatherings even as it is important to find out why the security forces got no prior intelligence about this absolutely predetermined attack against Christians with a view to preventing it from happening? Could this have been allowed to happen in Kano if Moslem worshippers were holding a procession?
HIRIWA recalled that Mr. Samson Kaura, sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Gombe state, told reporters that the truck, loaded with grains, lost control while overspeeding at Tashan Gona, a town in the Billiri local government area. What a poor and porous conspiracy theory? HURIWA asserted.
After a preliminary investigation, the truck driver was arrested and turned over to the conventional police on charges bordering on “speed violation,” Kaura said. HURIWA dismissed this wishy-washy investigation as preposterous and absolutely ludicrous.
Meanwhile HURIWA has dismissed the belated security meeting between failed service chiefs and President Bola Tinubu who went to Europe to cool off for weeks whilst Benue and Plateau states were under massive attacks by terrorists just as the Rights group condemned the National Assembly for being so weak and virtually dysfunctional and incapable of providing effective oversight supervision over security forces and the President just because the handpicked leaderships of the National Assembly are afraid to call a spade by its name so as not to offend the President who has effectively pocketed them as his bootlicking stooges. “The handpicked, heavily compromised hierarchy of the National Assembly who ate in the pockets of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, lacked the balls to demand accountability from the President who is the public office holder that commands and controls the armed forces which have failed to protect the citizens. Because of the theory of he who pays the piper dictates the tune, the National Assembly today, has no soul of its own and has lost its voice in their pursuits for pecuniary settlement from the presidency who controls lots of slush funds.
HURIWA has equally expressed shock that President Tinubu abdicated from his national security duties and allowed terrorists to overwhelm Plateau and Benue States just as HURIWA said it is unfortunate to hear from the Plateau state
Governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang at a stakeholders’ meeting at Government House in Jos yesterday, that bandits had taken over grazing reserves and forests in the state, killing people and destroying properties.”
There is no senatorial zone in this state that is without its share of conflict. In Wase, for instance, a grazing reserve was developed as far back as the days of Northern Nigeria, that area has been inaccessible.
How can bandits occupy the Wase grazing reserve, and someone calls that a clash? How can they be in forests in Kanam, and someone says it is a clash?”
HURIWA has therefore asked the federal government to invite the immediate past President Major General Muhammadu Buhari under whose weak, compromised and criminally conspiratorial administration, that Fulani herders were provided with sophisticated weapons to take over grazing reserves and forests all around the Country.
“HURIWA recalled that the media office wing of the President which was handled by the Fulani born Mallam Garba Shehu had openly attacked the then Ondo State Governor the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for taking steps to expel armed Fulani herders who took over the forests of Ondo State just as the President of the Miyetti Allah cattle owners association who was guarded by a battalion of soldiers and police on the permission of the then President Buhari threatened that Fulani herders must be allowed to occupy forests reserves all over the country just as the then President opposed the setting up of Amotekun to prevent the take over of forests reserves in the South West.
HURIWA believes that erstwhile President Buhari is a person of interest who should provide information on how Fulani herders accessed massive quantities of weapons of mass destruction at the time he was the Commander-in-Chief of the ArmedForces of Nigeria for a whooping 8 years. The terrorism of Fulani herders can’t be resolved without carrying out adequate investigation of the Buhari administration.”
COMRADE EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO,
NATIONAL COORDINATOR,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). April 22nd, 2025.
