Okwe Obi, Abuja
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has advised South-East leaders to immediately establish a regional security outfit, to stem the tide of wanton banditry and kidnapping, stating that community policing is not working.
In a statement signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, yesterday, he challenged “governors, legislators, ethnic leaders and civil Society leaders from the South East of Nigeria to mount unrelenting pressure on the political authorities to borrow the South West Amotekun model to checkmate the killings of innocent citizens by armed Fulani herdsmen.”
Onwubiko also “condemned the ceaseless and unending violent attacks of the Christian dominated southern Kaduna State by armed Fulani herdsmen. Nothing to stop these incessant killings with the latest being the killing of 21 villagers in Kagoro, in Laura local government area.
“Kaura youths had last month told the world that there were armed Fulani herdsmen camping on top of Kagoro hills but both the Kaduna State governor and his commissioner for internal security disputed this claim.”
The rights group said the recent attack has validated the allegations by the Kaura youths, adding that there should be immediate declaration of a state of emergency in Kaduna State so that soldiers and armed security forces can continuously comb the forests and hills to decimate and degrade the armed Fulani herdsmen camping in those places.