The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, describing him as a “tribal bigot” whose utterances are not only divisive but dangerous to Nigeria’s fragile unity.

The Association said Onanuga’s recent statement that detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, “will get what he deserves” is a clear reflection of the dysfunction and double standards that have long defined Nigeria’s justice system, where individuals from certain ethnic backgrounds are persecuted for dissent while others are rewarded for incitement.

In a statement made available to journalists on Friday, HURIWA said Onanuga, who openly threatened the Igbo people during the 2023 general elections, ought to be in the DSS underground cell instead of occupying a powerful seat in Aso Rock.

“Bayo Onanuga is the one who deserves to be in DSS custody, not Nnamdi Kanu,” HURIWA declared. “In 2023, he incited ethnic hatred when he warned Igbos to stay out of Lagos politics. He said, ‘Let 2023 be the last time of Igbo interference in Lagos politics.’ That was hate speech at its worst; a direct assault on the Igbo nationality. Yet, he roams free and enjoys presidential privileges.”

The rights group said Onanuga’s comments are not just an attack on Kanu but an affront to the entire Igbo-speaking population of Nigeria, adding that Kanu’s agitation represents the cry of a people who have long suffered systemic marginalization and exclusion.

“Nnamdi Kanu’s message, though sometimes delivered in strong language, was rooted in the call for equity and justice for the Igbo race. Anyone who denies that the Igbo people are systematically marginalized in modern-day Nigeria is either dishonest or an outcast among his people,” the association said.

HURIWA noted that Onanuga’s renewed attack on rights activist Omoyele Sowore and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for supporting Kanu’s release was both hypocritical and arrogant. “It is ironic that Onanuga accused Atiku of commenting on a case before the court while he himself is making inflammatory pronouncements on the same issue,” the group said.

“Onanuga is not the Chief Justice of Nigeria. He has no right to sit in Aso Rock and pass judgment on Kanu. What gives him the moral or legal authority to pre-judge a matter in court while pretending to caution others?” HURIWA queried.

The Association announced that it would join and fully support the peaceful protest being organised by Omoyele Sowore to demand Nnamdi Kanu’s release, saying the time has come for Nigerians, especially the Igbo people, to rise against selective justice.

“Let the heavens fall, we will come out. Enough is enough. Every right-thinking Igbo person should join this protest. We cannot continue to be intimidated by people like Bayo Onanuga who should be behind bars for hate speech and ethnic incitement,” HURIWA said.

The group recalled that Onanuga’s ethnic tirade in 2023 was not an isolated incident, pointing to similar threats made by the Lagos transport union leader,, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, who warned non-Yoruba voters to stay away from polling units unless they were voting for the APC.

“MC Oluomo said, ‘If you no wan vote for APC, stay at home o!’; a clear call for voter suppression and ethnic violence,” HURIWA recalled. “That reckless statement was followed by brutal attacks in Lagos, including the case of Mrs. Idowu Owohunwa, who was stabbed and bloodied while trying to vote. Yet, no one was arrested or prosecuted.”

HURIWA argued that Onanuga, MC Oluomo, and others like them who made hate-filled comments before and during the 2023 elections are “far guiltier” than Nnamdi Kanu, whose words from abroad never directly led to election-day killings or assaults.

“The truth is that Onanuga and MC Oluomo are the real symbols of hate speech in Nigeria. They are worse than Nnamdi Kanu because their words caused bloodshed, while Kanu’s words were calls for justice,” HURIWA said.

The rights organisation condemned the apparent ethnic imbalance in the country’s justice system, where anti-Igbo bigots walk free and even hold federal appointments while the leader of a movement calling for equality is treated as a felon.

“If Nnamdi Kanu were a Yoruba man, he would not have been held for this long. The Nigerian justice system is skewed, weaponised, and openly biased against the Igbo people,” HURIWA said.

The Association called on the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to immediately investigate Onanuga for incitement and ethnic hate speech, stressing that his conduct poses a real threat to Nigeria’s unity.

“The government cannot continue to protect people like Onanuga who are capable of setting this country on fire. Before Tinubu rewarded him with an appointment, Onanuga made a statement worse than what Nnamdi Kanu ever said. Yet, he is in Aso Rock while Kanu is in chains. That is not justice,” HURIWA concluded.