Civil Rights Advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the reported attack of the Tsiga community in the Bakori local government area of Katsina State just as the Rights group said the abduction of former DG of NYSC, a retired military General and the discovery of the remains of Mr. Justice Azuka a member of Anambra state House of Assembly show that the government at both the National and sub-national levels are treating kidnappers with kid gloves.

HURIWA said the manifestations of spectacular successes by these men of the underworld in pulling through these high profile terrorism related kidnappings, with the security forces displaying crass incompetence and inactions, show that the nation Nigeria does not have functional intelligence gathering and proactive policing mechanisms that are workable.

The Rights group wonders why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is satisfied with the mediocrity of his service chiefs including the incompetent Inspector-General of Police and the entire heads of the internal security institutions who draw public and taxpayers cash to operate in their various capacities which they have evidently failed to discharge creditably. Why has president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government not fired these poorly performing security heads that he appointed?”

In Katsina state, news report said the assailants abducted several residents, including retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga.

General Tsiga, who served as the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from January 2009 to September 2011, is among those taken by the gunmen.

Community sources revealed that the attack occurred around 12:30 AM on Wednesday, February 5, sparking fear and confusion among locals.

HURIWA similarly condemned as despicable act of daredevil criminality and a pure terrorist act, the killing by kidnappers of Hon. Justice Azuka, a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, who was kidnapped during the last Christmas period who has just been found dead at the 2nd Niger Bridge by security forces.

Recall that Azuka, the representative of Onitsha 1 North Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly was abducted on On Tuesday, December 24, 2024.

Azuka was reportedly kidnapped while returning home on Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha.

The abducted lawmaker, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), had regained his mandate after a court ruling ousted the previous winner, Hon. Douglas Egbuna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was initially declared the winner of the 2023 election.

HURIWA has once more reiterated her stance that the National Assembly and the states houses of Assembly should amend relevant laws to make kidnappings as crimes against humanity punishable by the death penalty just as the law must compel the President and state governors to automatically sign the death warrants after appeals upto Court of Apleal are rejected. HURIWA reiterated her vigorous advocacy for the liberalisation of firearms licences to adult Nigerian citizens who are unblemished of any criminal records to their names. These killings are unprecedented and the Country must act because DEPRIVATION OF LIFE IS THE ONLY HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION THAT HAS NO REMEDY SO THE CITIZENS NEED TO BE WELL ARMED FOR SELF DEFENCE.

“We propose that kidnappers should be executed publicly in their communities of origin in the township stadia with widespread media coverage to deter future kidnappings. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the state governors should declare a national state of emergency on kidnappings and then roll out emergency measures to smoke out kidnappers and terrorists who kidnap innocent Nigerians for ransom payments and subject them to quick, decisive justice with the stiffest capital punishments imposed on convicted kidnappers. This is the time to act before we are all kidnapped.