The National Coordinator of a civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, has raised alarm of threats to his life by some unknown persons.

In a media statement he personally signed, the activist alleged that at about 7pm on August 18, 2020 whilst he was on his way home, he was waylaid by a Toyota Camry driven by a fierce looking person with about two other armed occupants who trailed him for nearly 30 minutes and made attempt to hit his car from behind but fortunately he escaped from the hands of the attackers who fled upon sighting a police van not too far from the scene.

He said attack come after a week that HURIWA had publicly alleged massive corruption in the school feeding programmes of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.

He challenged the Minister in charge of that Ministry should accept an invitation for a public debate on the alleged corruption.

The rights group expressed dissatisfaction that rather than accept the open invitation to attend a public debate, the Minister’s self-acclaimed hack writers and supporters have gone overboard with a rash of publications in several newspapers with a campaign of calumny against HURIWA and its national coordinator.

Mr. Onwubiko also alleged that some journalists have also been paid to accuse HURIWA of harassing female Ministers.

HURIWA stated that in one of these media campaigns of calumny penned in a name of one Danliti Goga who claimed to be writing from Kano, in a publication on August 18, in one of the national dailies titled ‘Tending to the Poor and Needy’, unleashed venomous attacks on the personality of the HURIWA boss.

The rights group also disclosed that the pages of The Nation, Vanguard and Blueprint newspapers were deployed in many venomous attacks only because HURIWA challenged the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster management to a public debate.

“Although we are not accusing the Minister of sponsoring the assassination attempt on the life of Comrade Onwubiko, but since the last 13 years of its existence, this is the first time that a public office holder has either by commission or omission allowed her supporters to embark on sensational media campaigns of calumny against the person of Comrade Onwubiko and HURIWA just for demanding accountability and transparency,” the rights group said.

HURIWA has therefore tasked Nigerians to be aware that in the current administration the citizens can no longer voice their opinions freely for fear of attacks.

Update news