A frontline Non-governmental organisation -HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS
ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA ) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to
tell Nigerians if he has freed the only Boko Haram terrorist convicted for
the killing of over 50 worshippers at the Madala Catholic Church near
Abuja.
HURIWA recalled that only few months back Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the
Federal High Court, Abuja had sentenced to life imprisonment Mallam Kabiru
Abu baker Dikko ( aka Kabiru Sokoto) and as at 2015 he was being held Kuje
prison following his conviction over his role in connection with the 2011
Christmas Day bombing at the St Theresa Catholic Church, Mandalla, Niger
State be remanded in Kuje prison.
The blast in respect of which he was given life conviction claimed about
44 lives and wounded 75 others.
HURIWA in a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel
Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf
recalled specifically that prior to his sentencing, the terror mastermind
Sokoto was accused of withholding information on the plan to bomb
St.Theresa Church.
He was also charged with failure to disclose the plan to law-enforcement
officer as soon as practicable, an offence contrary to Section 7(1) and
punishable under Section 33(1) of Terrorism and Prevention Act 2011.
Sokoto was further accused of supporting the act of terrorism by training
500 men and inciting them to commit a terrorist act, contrary to Section
4(1)(a) and punishable under Section 33(1)(b) of Terrorism and Prevention
Act 2011.
The accused allegedly facilitated the commission of terrorist act to wit:
by planting and encouraging some boys (now at large) at Mabira Sokoto in
Sokoto State with the intention to bomb the police headquarters and some
otherbgovernment agencies in the state.
The alleged offence is contrary to Section 15(2) of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under
the same Act.
But HURIWA affirmed that since the current President Muhammadu Buhari
administration accepted to free some Boko Haram terrorists being detained
in exchange for the elusive Chibok school girls allegedly kidnapped over
two years ago, the social media platforms are replete with reports of the
release of this notorious terror mastermind who is one of the very few
already convicted.
The Rights group said it would amount to dancing in the graves of the
innocent souls slaughtered by these terrorists for the current government
to enter into this sort of satanic arrangements to set free a man who
plotted the bombing of a Catholic Church fIlley up with Worshippers
thereby resulting in the slaughter of scores of Nigerians including babies
and the elderly.
HURIWA lambasted the current Federal government for failing to
aggressively prosecute the terror suspects in detention but has decided to
engage in subterranean deals with dreaded armed terrorists for whatever
considerations which are however unconstitutional, illegal and
undemocratic. The Rights group has therefore asked President Muhammadu
Buhari to address Nigerians and clear the impression that his government
has decidedly released a hardened terrorist convicted for his crimes
against humanity even when political prisoners like Mr Nnamdi Kanu is
languishing in prison.