Prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has condemned “the comical naming of the former governor of Imo State and Senator representing Orlu Senatorial District of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha and his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as the purported sponsors of the spate of unprecedented violence and killings that have happened in the state over the past few months.”

HURIWA said in a statement on Tuesday that the “Imo State government has dabbled into the arena of politics and superiority battles by dragging security matters that was a life-and-death issues to the banality of politics and petty squabbles.”

HURIWA also said there was no constitutional democracy anywhere in the World whereby security is reduced to the petty plaything of political rivalries.

HURIWA urged the Imo State government to abide by the principle of Rule of law and allow all citizens accused of any offence to have his or her day in the courts of competent jurisdiction since the government of Imo State cannot be the accuser, the judge and the prosecutor in its own case.

“HURIWA expressed doubts that the Inspector General of Police would be able to maintain neutrality if he takes over the investigations of the circumstances and individuals responsible for the spate of bloodshed in Imo State because the government of Imo State has reduced this sensitive matter of law and order to a mere political comedy which must never be allowed before the entire Country is rubbished in the comity of nations. The group said the police is also a suspect in the state of attacks by the so called Unknown gunmen in Imo State.

“We urge the National hierarchy of the security forces to be professionally committed which they are not at the moment and to independently handle the critical matter of bringing to justice the individuals who may be responsible for the incessant attacks.

“Indeed we urge the President and the National Assembly to intervene and set up an independent team of forensic investigation experts drawn from all around the World to gather evidence and to determine those responsible for the killings. This is because it would seem that the Nigerian Police Force through the security attaches to the Imo State government are heavily compromised and may contaminate any probe by the Inspector General of Police who sent them to Imo State in the first place.”

HURIWA recalled that the Imo State Government on Tuesday, said that suspects have named Senator Rochas Okorocha and ex-governorship candidate, Uche Nwosu, as sponsors of bandits and kidnappers.

Governor Hope Uzodinma’s Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku, in a statement, said the duo were funding violence in the state.

Okorocha and Nwosu were specifically accused of fuelling “kidnapping, banditry and arson.”