Politics
THE pro-democracy organization, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, HURIWA, has described as the clearest red flag signposting the collapse of law, order and security in Nigeria, the report that about 30 travellers, including some students of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa were reportedly abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Abuja-Nasarawa Highway on Friday.
HURIWA stated in a statement by Emmanuel Onwubiko, National Coordinator, that the constant abduction by terrorists of students from all parts of the country, demonstrates much clearer that the security heads have no more ideas on the strategies for combating terrorists.
“What type of a government will be comfortable with the frequent violent kidnappings of students, including even primary school pupils, who are being abducted in massive numbers?”
Citing newspaper’s report, HURIWA asserted that it was gathered from a source who pleaded anonymity due to the nature of the incident on Sunday that the kidnappers laid siege to the vehicles conveying the travellers and abducted them and took them into a nearby bush in the Uke area of Nasarawa State.
The source stated further that a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa was travelling to her family in Abuja.
The Rights group averred that it was further gathered that a driver of one of the buses, who escaped the attack, called the attention of the police in the area to the incident.
The source said, “Thirty persons were kidnapped between Nasarawa and Abuja on Friday. The passengers were abducted from two buses and taken into the bush around a place called Uke in Nasarawa State.
“One of the passengers abducted in the incidents is HND student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, in Nasarawa State, who was returning to Abuja to meet her family.
“One of the bus drivers escaped from the incident. When he returned to the vehicle, he picked up some items, including the phone of one of the kidnapped victims, and reported the incident to the police station in Uke.”
When contacted for a reaction the Nasarawa Police Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, stressing that three victims had been rescued, while a search and rescue operation was ongoing.
He, however, said the abducted persons were not up to 30 as claimed, but did not confirm the number of the victims.
“The number (30) was exaggerated. An 18-seater bus was recovered at the scene and three people were rescued. A search and rescue operation is still ongoing,” Nansel stated.
HURIWA recalled that in the same state, it was reported in October 2023 that there was an invasion of a community in the Keffi Local Government Area by gunmen where four students of the state’s university were kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination.
Nigeria.
HURIWA said the recent publicised statement by a senior military officer from Niger Republic accusing Nigeria’s military high command of protecting Bello Turji, the bloodiest terror mastermind originating from the North West of Nigeria, shows the existence of saboteurs within the topmost echelons of the hierarchy of the armed forces demanding immediate reorganisation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Even when our lives as human rights defenders are threatened by the security topmost echelons, we in HURIWA, we will not fail to speak truth to power.”
A.I
June 10, 2024.
Tags: HURIWA President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
