Worried by the possible negative actions that may be carried out by armed military and police operatives against hundreds- of -thousands of peaceful pro- Biafra protesters following the recent warning by both the military and police authorities in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to stop any genocidal killings of civilian protesters in the South East or risk indictment for war crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague Netherlands for prosecution over crimes against humanity.

Reiterating its readiness to compile and send evidence of war crime to the global crimes court should the military and police make good their inhumane and violent threats to deploy lethal weapons against totally unarmed street protesters, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expressed regret that the Nigerian military authority and the hierarchy of the Nigeria Police Force are still living in the past when brute force was the only law enforcement mechanisms as were practiced with crass impunity during the military dictatorships that have now been consigned to the dustbins of history.

HURIWA, in a jointly endorsed statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, also cautioned the military to use only constitutional and rights -based approach in conducting internal military operations and under no circumstances are they allowed to fire any shots with live bullets at protesters whether they are clamouring for self-rule or otherwise.

HURIWA argued that the clamour for self-government by citizens is permissible under all international humanitarian laws, just as the rights group stressed and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to look for democratic and constructive means to bring about truce in the South East of Nigeria and indeed President Muhammadu Buhari must release forthwith Mr Nnamdi Kanu from the underground cells of the Department for State Security in compliance with a binding court order as he is currently a prisoner of conscience.

HURIWA said the operation of the so called pirate Radio Biafra from the European continent by the Independent Peoples of Biafra led by the detained Mr Nnamdi Kanu does not constitute any valid offence in Nigeria to warrant his state sponsored kidnap and detention under inhumane conditions. HURIWA said Nnamdi Kanu is a political Prisoner and must be released unconditionally.

•Photo shows Comrade Onwubiko.

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