The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has endorsed the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to further extend the state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe; the three north-eastern states which have remained a theatre of war as a result of Boko Haram’s terrorist activities.

HURIWA in a statement made available to News Express agreed that the Federal Government should seek further extension of the state of emergency “with a view to tackling once and for all the devastating terrorism attacks targeting civilian soft targets and governmental and non-governmental institutions in parts of the North-East.”

The rights group through the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, said the Federal Government’s decision to extend the state of emergency finds support in several provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and would further promote the security and welfare of the citizenry.

HURIWA stated: “We challenge the Nigerian Government to also take an extraordinary measure to bring about an end to the spate of blood cuddling attacks against civilians and government officials and offices by the armed Islamic extremists. This emergency extension should not be like business-as-usual. It must of necessity be used as a period to bring about the implementation and enforcement of carefully planned military and intelligence-driven activities to drive an effective wedge to the daredevilry of the armed terrorists.

“Government must take extraordinary measures such as full blown declaration of war; and also think of the possibility of inviting the African Union standing military force to join the recently formed Lake Chad Basin Military Joint Task Force to battle these terrorists and bring the perpetrators of worse kinds of war crimes amongst them to trial before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, even as other measures to reintegrate those amongst the fighters with no blood in their hands into the society as meaningful members of the civil populace after undergoing meticulous de-radicalisation trainings and orientations must be implemented.”

•Photo shows President Goodluck Jonathan in his Commander-in-Chief’s uniform.