By TINA TIMOTHY

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed dismay regarding the setting ablaze of the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu on Sunday night July 3, 2022, as well as other burnt strategic government offices in Southeast, Nigeria and accused haters of Igbo’s political interest for being responsible for the heinous crimes.

HURIWA made the accusation in a statement on Monday, July 4, 2022 signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, contending that “no sane Igbo man or woman will be part of a sinister plot to reduce the Igbo race to perpetual second fiddle in the political affairs of Nigeria – a country which the Igbos contribute so much to build and sustain economically.”

The statement is coming against the backdrop of the burning down of INEC offices in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State last Sunday night by hoodlum who stormed the office situated at the council’s headquarters in Ogurute.

The statement reads in part: “On the burning of INEC office in Enugu state and other burnt strategic government offices in Southeast, we are expressing our dismay, total condemnation and we believe that this is a work of saboteurs who do not want Igbos to become politically relevant in Nigeria. We think that no sane Igbo man or woman will be part of a sinister plot to reduce the Igbo race to perpetual second fiddle in the political affairs of Nigeria - a country which the Igbos contribute so much to build and sustain economically.”

The group also considers the security agencies’ inability to apprehend the saboteurs over the last two years a failure of intelligence on their part and a deliberate act to “cripple the wheel of political progress of Southeast in the Nigerian polity.

“It is surprising that the armed security services have so far been unable to track down these saboteurs over the last two years that the burning of strategic national assets in the Southeast started. This is a failure of intelligence on the part of security services paid heavily from tax payers’ money.

“We do also think that the apparent and sickening inaction of the security services to arrest those saboteurs may be deliberate in order to cripple the wheel of political progress of Southeast in the Nigerian polity. The reason also is that all the Commissioners of Police, all the State Directors of DSS and all the State Commandants of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps are not indigenes of South East and so these other persons posted to Igboland do not love Igboland and often see themselves as occupiers and so wouldn't work vigorously to pre-empt and prevent the sabotage of strategic national assets that are beneficial to Igbos such as INEC or security offices.”

Consequently, HURIWA called on the South East governors and elite to engage the services of private security experts and criminologist to fish out arsonist behind the torching of the said offices.

“We call on the Southeast Governors to engage private forensic experts and criminologists to uncover the faces of these saboteurs independently since the federal government- controlled security system is sabotaging the South East because the Igbos are not at the level of command and control.

“Also, why has the Police in the Southeast not successfully prosecuted one of these cases of burning strategic government offices in the region by these political saboteurs? Why are the Police unwilling to go after these real enemies of Igbos?”

“We think that some fifth columnists have been hired by external forces to undermine the renewed vigour and determination to register and participate in the forthcoming election. Those sponsoring these burnings of INEC offices are scared of the coming voters revolution because they prefer to maintain the status quo ante bellum that has rendered Nigeria prostrate, economically.

“Those who are burning INEC offices do not want Igbos to vote come 2023 and these saboteurs are paid agents of haters of Igbos. This is a systematic hate crime that must be seriously tackled with every might and resources that can be mustered by the South Eastern States and the elite.

“HURIWA applauded the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for taking pre-emptive measures to stem the tides of insecurity in Enugu State and we call on all Igbos to support the Enugu State governor,” the statement concluded.

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