Imo: HURIWA condemns naming of ex-gov, Okorocha, Nwosu as bandits, kidnapping sponsors


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, Rochas Okorocha, and his Son in law, Uche Nwosu, as the purported sponsors of unprecedented violence and killings in the state.

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Imo state, Oguwike Nwachuku, had accused the former governor and his son-in-law of sponsoring banditry and kidnapping in the state.

However, the rights group in a press statement, Tuesday in Abuja, said the Imo state government has dabbled into the arena of politics and superiority battles by dragging security matters, that is a life and death issue, to the banality of politics and petty squabbles.

HURIWA in the statement signed by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said there was no constitutional democracy anywhere in the world whereby security is reduced to the petty plaything of political rivalries. 
The Rights group urged the Imo state government to abide by the principle of rule of law and allow all citizens accused of any offence to have their day in courts of competent jurisdiction, noting that the state government cannot be the accuser, the prosecutor, and the judge  in its case.

HURIWA expressed doubts that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, would be able to maintain neutrality in investigations of the circumstances and individuals responsible for the spate of bloodshed in Imo state because the state government has reduced this sensitive matter of law and order to a mere political comedy which must never be allowed before the country is rubbished in the comity of nations.

“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 President Muhammadu Buhari, 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 IGP who sent them to Imo state in the first place,” HURIWA further stated.