The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the reported assassination attempt at the weekend on the life of the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah.

It canvassed “professional and comprehensive investigation of the dastardly act so as to bring perpetrators to swift justice to stop them from achieving their aim and by this way thwart the ongoing comprehensive remodelling and reforms in the nation’s aviation industry.”

In a statement issued this afternoon in Abuja by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and National Director of Media Affairs Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA also condemned “in the strongest possible terms, speculations and conjectures making round in the popular social media and by bloggers alleging that the attempt on the life of the Minister of Aviation was a fluke and a charade choreographed by the minister to draw sympathy and make people forget the controversy surrounding the purchase of the two bullet proof cars at N250 million.” HURIWA dismissed these speculations as the handiwork of selfish persons who thrive in useless conspiracy theories that are substantially bereft of facts and basic ingredients of rational thinking and sound logic.

HURIWA expressed “shock, consternation and trepidation” at what it called “the speedy deterioration of the profoundly esteemed African traditional values attached to the sacredness of life and the cultural sense of African fellow feeling which has now resulted in the dare-devil plot by some observers to conclude that the reported assassination attempt on the Minister of Aviation which has been confirmed by the police was fake.”

The rights group urged Nigerians to stop and quickly arrest the drift into popular emotional hatred of political office holders and embrace the revered African cultural and traditional values attached to fraternal love for one another and also to exercise caution before reaching unsubstantiated and indeed provocative emotional conclusion on such a sensitive crime related incident as the reported assassination attempt on the Aviation Minister.

HURIWA said although there is profound sense of public outrage at the high rate of corruption by certain political office holders, it is hasty to conclude that every Nigerian in government office is a thief since, according to HURIWA, there is abundant evidence that good people are still working in the current federal government.

The rights group lamented that “because operatives of the Nigerian Police Force have carried out in the recent past some activities/operations on the orders from above that are grossly anti-people such as the dispersing of peaceful anti-corruption protesters in Abuja and the women protesters in Anambra State in the wake of the botched Anambra Governorship Election, that has now created further and bigger credibility deficit on the integrity of the Nigerian Police Force so much so that people even doubt the Police when such sensitive and professional crime investigation reports like that of the attempted assassination of the Aviation Minister is being seriously debated by members of the public in the popular social media outlets.”

“We hereby appeal to Nigerians to exercise caution before jumping to conclusion on matters that are life threatening such as the reported assassination attempt on the life of the Minister of Aviation,” HURIWA said, adding: “It is only the devil or its incarnate that can hatch such a sinister plot to draw conclusion that a rational human being can plan a fake assassination attempt. Let us wait for detailed and professional investigation from the police before we draw conclusion based on verifiable and cogent empirical evidence. This same scenario played out itself when a leading anti-corruption campaigner Mr. Dino Melaye was almost gunned down and some persons including some police operatives insinuated that Dino faked his assassination attempt. This is outrageous and insane to put it mildly.”

•Photo shows Aviation Minister Stella Oduah.

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