HURIWA Demands probe of attacks on Rivers State’s PDP leaders
Oru Leonard
A prominent Non-Governmental organization- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has called for the probe of attacks on Rivers State’s People’s Democratic Party Leaders in Nigeria.
HURIWA said this in a statement signed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, in Abuja on Friday 8 March, 2019.
HURIWA also asked the Chief of Army staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, to ensure that the military operatives are not misused by Federal government office holders from Rivers and other states to manipulate the March 9th 2019 governorship and State Assembly elections nation- wide.
HURIWA said her members on ground in Rivers State have reported that Federal appointees are apparently parading about with massive numbers of armed security forces thus threatening the peace of the State and unduly harassing civilians.
The rights group urged the Chief of Army staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai to order the release of all the political opposition members so arrested if any and to deal with those who destroyed the housing assets of PDP leaders in Rivers State. The group said it is because of her belief in constructive partnership with statutory institutions to improve human rights that has motivated it to constructively and meaningfully engage the hierarchies of the armed security forces to continue to sustain professionalism and adherence to the Principle of law and to protect constitutional democracy from threats by reactionary elements.
HURIWA also cautioned law enforcement agencies to stop parading suspects or subjecting them to media persecution just as the Rights group faulted the recent parade of some politicians in Rivers State by the military over their alleged involvement in election related bribery scam.
HURIWA noted the legal principle in Nigeria is such that presumes that all suspected offenders are innocent until proven guilty. “Only the courts of competent jurisdiction in line with section 6 of the Nigerian constitution can reach a determination in all cases and accusations just as it stated that media trials are antithetical to modernism, legalism and Rule of Law but amounts to lynch mob justice”.
HURIWA has also called for peaceful conduct of the poll and called on the police to arrest and prosecute violators of extant electoral law. “The intimidation and harassment of Igbo voters outside of Igbo land is hereby absolutely condemned. INEC must behave in line with the law and must not repeat the spectacular ethical crimes and criminal manipulations that happened in the last Presidential and National Assembly’s Elections”, the statement concluded.
