By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has demanded urgent answers from the Federal Government over the reported abduction of about 600 residents during an August 22 attack on communities in Niger State.

The rights group said the reported abduction of residents of Dekera, Gidan-Zana and Sabon Gida, alongside the reported killing of at least 40 people, had become a national security and humanitarian emergency requiring urgent government action.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, on Saturday, HURIWA expressed concern over reports that families of the victims had received no communication from the abductors for two weeks.

The group also said affected families had not received sufficient information from government authorities about ongoing efforts to rescue their loved ones.

“A presidential order to rescue abducted citizens cannot end as a statement in the media. Nigerians need results. Families need information. The abducted citizens need to come home alive,” HURIWA said.

The association noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed security agencies to rescue the hostages but stressed that such directives must be followed by visible and measurable action.

HURIWA also highlighted the reported abduction of a woman alongside her husband and three children, including a newborn baby, describing the case as an illustration of the human cost of insecurity in the affected communities.

“What kind of country allows a mother and her newborn baby to disappear into the hands of armed criminals while government agencies remain unable to tell the family what they are doing to rescue them?” the group asked.

The rights organisation further condemned the reported destruction of homes and displacement of residents following the attack.

According to HURIWA, the government’s responsibility should not end with the deployment of security personnel after an attack, as displaced residents also require food, shelter, medical assistance and protection from further attacks.

“Citizens whose homes are reduced to ashes cannot be abandoned to the mercy of the rains and hunger. The government has a constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property,” it said.

HURIWA called on the Federal Government, Niger State Government and security agencies to provide affected families with credible and regular updates on rescue operations.

It also demanded an investigation into how the attackers were able to carry out what residents described as a coordinated assault resulting in mass abductions and killings.

“The government must explain how hundreds of Nigerians can be taken hostage in a single operation without an effective intervention. Nigerians cannot continue to live in communities where terrorists and kidnappers determine who lives, who dies and who disappears,” HURIWA said.

The group urged security agencies to intensify intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated operations to locate the abducted residents, while ensuring that the safety of the victims remained the priority during any rescue operation.

HURIWA also called for the establishment of a dedicated communication channel through which affected families could receive verified information about rescue efforts.

The association warned that prolonged silence could deepen public distrust and leave victims’ families feeling abandoned by the government.

“Every abducted Nigerian is a citizen whose life is protected by the Constitution. Their families are not asking for charity. They are demanding the most basic duty of government — protection of life and the safe return of their loved ones,” HURIWA said.

The rights group therefore demanded urgent action, transparent communication and accountability over the reported mass abduction, insisting that the government must demonstrate that the lives of ordinary Nigerians are not expendable.