Prominent civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), believes that Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and a few of his colleagues in the Igbo speaking States are simply beating about the bush on insecurity by constantly adopting same outdated and unworkable technique for fighting terrorism which is purely kinetic that lacks hard core intelligence.

HURIWA specifically advised Imo State governor to perish the infantile thought of believing that his so-called advanced technology approved by President Muhammadu Buhari can work magic in ending the crises of insecurity, terrorism and sundry banditry both by centripetal and centrifugal forces just as the rights group challenged the Imo State government and other South East governments to work on cultivating, incubating, maintaining and ensuring the existence of a sustainable top quality human intelligence which would inevitably compliment the advanced technology in crime fighting methodologies that would be effective and efficient. HURIWA asked the governor to abolish the Ebubeagu militia because they have become political executioners who aren't altruistic and professional enough to battle terrorists.

HURIWA also wonders how Governor Hope Uzodinma thinks stability, lasting security and development will take place in the South East of Nigeria when the President who the likes of Hope Uzodimma consults intermittently seeking for additional fighting forces has denied the South East social justice by holding on to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in clear disrespect to the pleas for mercy by respected elders of Igbo extraction who visited President Muhammadu Buhari last year pleading for political solutions to the South East crises and then the President Muhammadu Buhari further failed to enforce the judgment of the Court of Appeal ordering the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

HURIWA argued that the unjust detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu complicated and compounded the security situation in the South East with many fringe groups who may not even be working with the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, launching massive violent attacks targeting strategic national security assets and members of the armed forces with the concomitant deployment of extrajudicial execution of young Igbo people by some rogue members of the security forces.

HURIWA believes that deployment of advanced technology can only achieve minimal results for as long as comprehensive measures are not implemented to bring about a lasting peace through the enforcement of policies that embody social justice, respect for rule of law and respect for the fundamental freedoms of the people.

The Rights group wants Governor Hope Uzodinma and other South East governors to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, deproscribe the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra since the group has not been found guilty of any terror related attacks in any known judgment of any competent courts of law in Nigeria.

"Then secondly, the Governors should convoke a broad-based dialogues and negotiations sessions with all groups irrespective of their ideological leanings with a view to convincing everyone to accept that violence, bloodshed, kidnappings and sundry terrorism do not achieve any sustainable objectives.

"Governments in the South East working with the National Drugs Law enforcement Agency and other law enforcement agents must rid the rural communities of widespread abuses of illegal substances and hard drugs by youths which is the most potent predisposing factor for enlistment into criminal and terror gangs by youngsters who loiter about in the rural areas with little education and a total lack of economic opportunities for their personal growth and financial empowerment.

"Those whom the governments in the South East ought to partner with as positive agents to build up formidable human intelligence are mostly into the habits of indulging in hard drugs and because governance does not cover much of these rural communities, these youths are predisposed to be enlisted actively by terrorists and bandits which have complicated the crises of insecurity in the Igbo region of Nigeria."

HURIWA recalled that in a move to address the wave of insecurity in the South East zone, President Muhammadu Buhari, reportedly approved the deployment of advanced technology to tackle security challenges in the area. Disclosing this to newsmen on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with President Buhari at the State House, Abuja, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State said he had come to appeal to the president to approve technology deployment to enable the zone deal effectively with the security menace.

HURIWA quoted Governor Uzodinma as stating thus: “I appealed to Mr. President for further support, to support us with some technological deployments, we have planned to be able to do an advanced kind of security control in the South East. And he has also given his approval to that.

"And in a moment from now, we’ll be getting some surveillance equipment and some modern technologies that will help us manage security so that we can fight crime with little or no collateral damage to the environment.”

HURIWA through the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, however carpeted Governor Hope Uzodinma for beating about the bush and for pursuing same solution that has never worked since the past couple of years that violence became unprecedented in Imo State particularly after the Armed forces and police reportedly in an unprovoked circumstance gunned down some persons said to be commanders of the Eastern Security Network- a platform under the control of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

HURIWA repeated that the deployment of advanced technology to tackle security challenges can't work optimally as long as the governor of Imo State and others in the South East Region fail to pursue non-kinetic strategy and to build up human intelligence from the good people of their states. HURIWA also urge the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the Police to work on their civil and military relationship so as to win the hearts and minds of the people and to eradicate the use of extra-legal shooting of civilians without provocation or threats to their lives.

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