A prominent Non-Governmental Organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has urged the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army to stop further use of lynch mob justice in the search for the suspected whereabouts of the missing Muhammed Alkali, a retired Major General.

HURIWA accused the Army of being biased and unprofessional by rounding up ordinarily villagers and parading them as common criminals even as the armed Fulani killer gangs are operating freely.

“As much as we support the enforcement of the due process of the law, leading to the arrest and prosecution of the persons involved in the alleged disappearance of the retired General Muhammad Alkali, we don’t support the ongoing demonisation of an entire community as if it is a community of criminals. We asked that the best global practices be adopted in searching for the right accused persons and for the innocent villagers not to be subjected to horrendous lynch mob justice because of their association with the community in which the Army thinks their erstwhile officer purportedly disappeared. The principle of rule of law must be respected,” HURIWA said in a statement.

It recalled that Alkali was declared missing on September 3rd this year whilst reportedly driving to Bauchi State from Abuja. The group also recalled that the Army confirmed the arrest of 30 suspects in a community in Plateau State in connection with his disappearance, “just as the Doi Du District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State has come under tremendous military blockade and mass arrests.” The rights group described this method of mass arrests as lynch mob justice which is totally antithetical to constitutional democracy.

Relatedly, HURIWA recalled that the Nigerian army troops of the Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven have reportedly arrested at least 72 suspects in connection to the recent violence in Plateau State. The group expressed worry that the fundamental human rights of these suspects might be violated even as it has charged the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, to adhere strictly to all the relevant constitutional provisions on the handling of criminal matters as stipulated clearly by the Constitution which is a supreme and binding law.

HURIWA criticised what it called the hasty parade of the suspects who were paraded at the headquarters of the Operation Safe Haven in the state capital on Thursday by the commander of the task force, Major General Augustine Agundu, even before they are allowed to be represented by their respective lawyers.

HURIWA quoted Major General Agundu as affirming thus: “We arrested a total of 72 youths who have been profiled according to their level of culpability and those that were not found to be entirely involved have been released and we present to you some other youths, a total of 30 who were arrested for various offences and they’ve all confessed to having taken part”.

HURIWA however expressed consternation that the Army seems not to have seriously carried out a surgical and evidence-based military operations to track down the armed Fulani killer gangs who are still carrying out various acts of blood-curdling violence on some communities in Plateau State but is alleged to have embarked on large-scale arrest of civilians in the community whereby the car in which the retired General was travelling in was discovered in a pond.

HURIWA which condemned the parade of the suspects picked up randomly from the Du community for alleged involvement in the reported disappearance of the Major General Muhammed Alkali has asked that the constitutional rights of all the suspects must be guaranteed even as the rights group reminded the Army that the persons been paraded and subjected to media trials are innocent in the eye of the law in line with section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended).

Specifically, Section 36 (1) provides that: “In the determination of his civil rights and obligations, including any question or determination by or against any government or authority, a person SHALL be entitled to a fair hearing within reasonable time by a court or tribunal established by law and constituted in such a manner as to secure its independence and impartiality”. Section 36(5) provides that: “Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proved guilty”,” the group said.