The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the atrocities and violence that have been unleashed on Nigerians who live in North by sophisticated gangsters that are apparently armed by the region’s elite.

The same northern elite, HURIWA further alleges, are bankrolling the activities of these terrorists in the North and have tried to change the narrative by rebaptizing them to armed bandits instead of calling them by their real name: terrorists.

The kidnap of students in a school in Niger state, the rights group said, "is just one of those systematic plots that have been hatched by these same northern elites, including governors, Senators, members of the House of Representatives who are sponsoring the terrorists while the poor people of the North and other less fortunate citizens who live in the far north are used as mere canon-fodders/bargaining chips.

“There is an overall game plan by northern elites to blackmail the rest of Nigerians so the federal government can broach the idea to set up amnesty programme for northern terrorists in which case humongous public funds can be siphoned by northern elites to satisfy their apparently insatiable appetite for free cash.

“We want to ask President Muhammadu Buhari, why the government did not investigate the intelligence that was given by the former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Dr. Obadiah Mailafia about the sponsorship of terrorists in the north linking some governors or a governor?

“Why was Dr. Obadiah Mailafia harassed, humiliated, intimidated and cajoled by the security forces and most of these heads of security forces are northern Muslims? Is there something they are hiding from the rest of us in Nigeria? How come that virtually 85% or 90% of the heads of security forces are northern Muslims and yet the north has been destabilized? What is their agenda? The heads of DSS, Police, Immigration, NIA and Customs, these are key hierarchies of the security forces in Nigeria and they are all Muslim northerners.

“What is the role of National Security Adviser? What is the quality of the security advice he gives to the President so much so that the whole country is about to be destabilized? This is because if someone offers advice for five years and yet the reason for his engagement (insecurity to be resolved) is getting worst, what is he still doing there in public office and being funded? Why not sack him, if all the former Service Chiefs voluntary retired what is the security adviser still doing there? Is the Commander-in-Chief still in charge or has he abdicated his duties to protect Nigerians which section 14(2) (b) listed in the constitution as his primary duty and responsibility of government?

“Why is the National Assembly made up of onlookers who have abdicated their legislative oversight powers to compel the President who has failed to protect Nigerians and within a year 2020, over 8,279 citizens have been killed by terrorists to do the needful with a definite timeline issued to Mr. President and yet governors who swore oaths of office and clutching their Holy scriptures and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to uphold the Constitution will go right back against constitutional norms to bribe and negotiate with terrorists and will insult our intelligence and national psyche by sermionizing that government should negotiate with terrorists?”

HURIWA therefore charged the National Assembly to act swiftly and uncover those elites who are funding the war of the North against the North which is fast spreading to the South.