Date Published: 04/23/09

HURIWA wants end to killings by robbers, wants state of emergency on police

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, a development focused Non-Governmental Organization has on Tuesday decried the high incidence of killings of citizens in the country by organized armed robbery gangs and called on the Federal Government to urgently reorganize the Nigeria Police to make the operatives pro-active and sufficiently trained and equipped to battle the upsurge in the crime wave across the country. The rights group advised the current Federal administration to resign if it cannot provide security to citizens because failure to provide safety of lives and property of citizens is an impeachable offence.

Reacting to the spate of organized crime incidents across the country with the attendant high rate of casualties with specific reference to the recent wanton killings of scores of commuters by armed robbers in Oba, near Onitsha, Anambra State, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA in a statement endorsed by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko upbraided the current administration for paying lip service to the strategic issue of providing effective and professionally result-oriented anti-crime measures and challenged President Umaru Musa Yar’adua to either provide security to lives and property of citizens or resign from office since the provision of security to citizens is the primary constitutional duty of the Federal Government.

Specifically, eye-witnesses who spoke with newsmen stated that the suspected armed robbers who operated with one Toyota Hilux, Hiace commuter and one jeep were on the trail of a bullion van that took off from Onitsha to Nnewi through Oba old Road. The alleged well armed robbers were said to have launched a coordinated attack on the Bank bullion van within Oba area in Idemili South Local Government area of Anambra State leading to the wanton and indiscriminate killings of scores of commuters and passers-by.

The Rights Group condemned the Nigeria Police inability to cope with the high incidence of organized violent crime across the country and stated that these events are clear indictment of the current administration which has failed to fulfil the basic constitutional duty of providing security to the lives and property of citizens as enshrined in section 14[1][2] [b] that; ‘’the Federal Republic of Nigeria SHALL be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice and that it is accordingly declared that the SECURITY AND WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE SHALL BE THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT.’’

HURIWA advised the Federal Government to tackle the issue of rising crime wave with the attendant wanton killings of innocent citizens by these dare devil robbers as a matter of urgent national importance and to declare a STATE OF EMERGENCY ON THE NIGERIAN POLICE in order to enforce measures that will sufficiently empower the police with the right calibre of hierarchy, operatives and crime prevention, detection and fighting weapons to combat the menace of high organized crime in all parts of Nigeria. ‘’A Government that has shown by action since two years that it is incapable of fighting organized crime should begin to think of emergency measures to adopt or be prepared to resign because the provision of security to the lives and property of citizens is the most fundamental constitutional duty of Government.’’