Date Published: 12/26/09

HURIWA wants FG to tackle Religious Fanatics

Following the arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Detroit United States of America of a 23-year old Nigerian London-based University Engineering student Umar Farouk Almutallab for allegedly attempting to bomb a Delta Airline American bound airline, a development focused and democracy inclined non-governmental organization- Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, [HURIWA] has tasked the Federal Government to tackle the root cause of religious fanaticism and violence especially by extremists in Northern Nigeria.

The human rights group in a statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko also challenged the aviation authorities in Nigeria to upgrade the operational competence and capacity of the security operatives in the nation’s major airports to forestall future occurrence of this kind of security breach which made it possible for the suspected bomber to have sneaked through the Lagos International Airport without being detected to be carrying some suspicious powder chemicals.

Lamenting the bad international image that the alleged attempt to bomb the United States airline has brought to Nigeria and the embarrassment that most Nigerian international travellers would face as a result of the consequential tightening up of security screening occasioned by the incident, HURIWA, urged government at all levels to ensure that persons alleged to have committed horrendous human rights violations like mass murder and arson in the name of religious affiliations must be made to face the full weight of the law even as the Rights Group blamed the rise of religious extremism to the unfortunate fact that most alleged perpetrators of religious-motivated violence have in the past been treated with kid gloves by the government in cohort with the security community.

Citing the mass murders that have occurred in Maiduguri caused by Islamic extremists called BOKO HARAM and the incident that took place in Jos Plateau State, the Rights group asserted that almost all alleged perpetrators of those dastardly acts arrested by the police are now roaming the streets as free persons just as the group expressed sadness that perpetrators of religious killings have now believed that they can get away with their heinous crimes because the government officials have compromised and sacrificed the security of innocent Nigerians at the altar of  religious favouritism.

HURIWA asserted that even though the national constitution in section 10 makes it illegal for any religion to be declared a state religion most states and the Federal Government spend huge resources of the people to sponsor pilgrims on religious pilgrimages and promote one religion above every other. The Rights group also criticised a situation whereby some states are accused of denying some religious groups the right to erect their places of worship even though Nigeria is a secular state.

 According to HURIWA; ‘’ we must tell ourselves the plain truth about why a Nigerian could muster foolish courage to want to allegedly bomb an airplane because of some kind of misguided religious radicalisation. The fact is that for decades now, those who slaughtered people in the streets of Northern Nigeria and their comrades in crime in the south who engaged in reprisals have always have their ways because they have not being made to face the full weight of the law and are not taught the lesson that those who kill in whatever guises are to be subjected to criminal trials as murder suspects and made to pay the price in accordance with the laws.’’