The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the attacks on travellers along the Owerri-Aba Federal Highway in Imo State and farmers in Benue State by armed herders.

The rights group accused security forces of inaction, incompetence, and compromise, demanding swift justice for those killed or maimed, allegedly by armed Fulani herdsmen.

HURIWA reported that fleeing gunmen, suspected to be herdsmen, shot and killed a truck driver and hijacked an 18-seater bus along the busy Aba-Owerri road. The group criticised the Army for maintaining roadblocks along the highway while armed herdsmen continue to disrupt traffic, killing and abducting passengers travelling to southern Nigeria.

In a separate incident on Thursday, armed hoodlums set ablaze over 20 vehicles along the Okigwe-Umuahia Expressway. HURIWA condemned the delayed response by security forces in Imo State.

The national coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, issued a statement urging service chiefs, the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Inspector General of Police, and the Commandant General of the Civil Defence Force to overhaul the leadership of their agencies in Imo and Benue states. He called for the appointment of competent officers to lead efforts to rid these states of terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers.

HURIWA decried the ongoing killings, noting that those responsible for safeguarding lives are rarely held accountable by the authorities, including the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

The group, citing intelligence, stated that the incident along the Owerri-Aba Federal Highway occurred on Tuesday afternoon, leaving road users stranded and terrified. One eyewitness, Ugo Okere, recounted that the gunmen emerged from the bush and began shooting sporadically, forcing drivers to halt abruptly.

Meanwhile, the police spokesperson for the Imo State Command, DSP Henry Okoye, attributed the Okigwe incident to members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

HURIWA, however, criticised the police spokesperson’s claim and faulted the continuous failure of security forces to gather intelligence that could preempt such attacks.

The group lamented that the attacks, which lasted several hours, were only addressed after significant carnage and bloodshed had occurred. (The Guardian)