The HumanRights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has once again, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to release a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, and lead of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria also known as Shiites. The group also condemned what it called undue concession to Fulani herdsmen by the Federal Government.

The rights group also expressed consternation over the growing list of disappearances of the now proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who were allegedly whisked away to unknown detention dungeons by various segments of the armed security forces for months without trial in any courts of competent jurisdiction.

HURIWA also carpeted government functionaries including the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, ministers of Agriculture and Internal Affairs, Audu Ogbeh and Lt. Gen. Abdulrahaman Danbazau (rtd) “for pandering to the whims of armed Fulani herdsmen by contemplating the deployment of public resources to promote private businesses of cattle rearing by establishing the illegal cattle colonies in parts of Nigeria.”

HURIWA said: “By the provisions of the land use Act recognised by the constitution only state Governors and Houses of Assemblies have powers over land allocations in their states,” even as the group charged the Federal Government “to stop dining and wining with suspected mass murderers but to order the armed security forces to deal decisively with terrorists and bring the full weight of the law on the mass killers masquerading as Fulani herdsmen.”

The rights group said it was unconstitutional, that instead of arresting, prosecuting and sending the convicted killers to firing squads for their horrendous crimes against humanity, government officials are debating on measures to reward the armed Fulani herdsmen with the juicy landed assets in the name of cattle colonies at public costs even when the forceful or pretentious confiscation of ancestral landed assets and donation to Fulani herdsmen in strange communities is capable of igniting long lasting asymmetric civil wars.

HURIWA said the decision to pander to the whims and caprices of armed Fulani herdsmen through awards of landed assets to be dispossessed by government from their lawful owners is a violation of the constitutional oath of office sworn to by the President who is Fulani not to let his private affairs to interfere with his official functions.

HURIWA referred President Buhari to the seventh schedule of the 1999 constitution which is the oath of office in which he swore as follows: “That I will abide by the Code of Conduct contained in the fifth schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will; that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as President; and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria”.

“HURIWA therefore is of the opinion that President Buhari apart from directing armed security forces to decisively crush armed Fulani insurgency should declare the union of Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist organisation and also ensure that all those who killed Nigerians have their days in courts of law to avoid the institutionalisation of impunity.

“On the illegally detained Nigerians such as Sambo Dasuki, El-Zakzaky, his wife and thousands of members of the hurriedly proscribed IPOB, HURIWA demands their immediate release and the conduct of audits of all detention facilities by stakeholders and the legislature.”

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