Prominent civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has described as an act of terrorism, the killing by gunmen in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State of over a dozen soldiers including many senior military officers. The rights group said the killings are insensitive, senseless, misdirected and absolutely reprehensible.

HURIWA in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, threw her support to the order made by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Chris Garba, for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the killers. The rights group said “it is unfortunate that armed soldiers deployed for a peace keeping mission are simply killed by the warring factions in a direct attempt to undermine peace and stability in Delta State.”

HURIWA said the aim of the killers of those soldiers was to expand the frontiers of the conflicts and to draw in the armed forces of Nigeria to become a party in the needless infighting amongst the gangsters.

The rights group praised the Nigeria Army for exercising restraints and for the Chief of Defence Staff to opt for observing the principles of rule of law shows a high level of compliance to the rules of Engagement which is highly encouraging. HURIWA is therefore urging the soldiers not to stage a reprisal attack on the community because those who killed the soldiers may even be loose canons or hired goons who have no connection with the community and the people.

“We in HURIWA Condemns in no uncertain terms, the dastardly criminal act and indeed one of the most gruesome act of terrorism, the brutal slaughtering of so many Army officers by some armed hoodlums in a part of Delta State. This is so tragic and despicable to put it mildly and it is hoped that all those involved in this terror attack are arrested and decisively dealt with,” the statements said.

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