The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has tasked President Mohammadu Buhari to declare a State of Emergency on the poor state of human rights and the collapse of law enforcement in the country.
Addressing a press conference, Wednesday in Abuja, HURIWA National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said, “the human rights situation in Nigeria has deteriorated requiring the immediate declaration of a State of Emergency on human rights and national security by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It would seem that we have reached the precipice and if emergency measures are not adopted them national doom is inevitable.
“To show you how bad the situation is, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has lost its constitutionally required potency to prevent violent crimes just as most police officers are basically concerned with other duties but policing Nigeria and Nigerians.”
According to him, “The level of professionalism in the NPF has dramatically nosedived and indiscipline has become a common currency of circulation amongst the rank and file as well as the officer cadres of the NPF.”
Onwubiko, who said two states, Enugu and Kogi were the most affected, decried the fact that, “the Police Service Commission (PSC) is moribund and not responsive to their responsibilities of enforcing discipline.
“PSC is more concerned about promotions and there are widespread allegations of bribes for promotions which must be investigated by an independent judicial commission of inquiry if we are desirous of finding lasting solutions to the security and policing nightmares affecting Nigeria.”
Speaking further he said, “We recently undertook two weeks tour of the south east of Nigeria and what we discovered saddened our hearts.
“Statistically, what we saw indicates that over 97 per cent of the communities in the south east of Nigeria are without any form of policing institutions.
“We challenge the state commissioners of police to publish the divisional police offices in the south east states and tell Nigerians how many police operatives work there.”
He argued that, “since regular policing has failed, is it the so called community policing that will not fail? Let us stop the grand deception and take steps to protect the citizens.”
On the failure of human rights sector, he said: “We blame President Muhammadu Buhari for disabling the National Human Rights Commission.
“National Human Rights Commission is now a toothless bulldog and is administered like a typical civil service institution without the legally guaranteed independency and for three years President Buhari has refused to reconstitute the governing council.”
Onwubiko further stated that, “Police detention facilities across Nigeria must be opened up to credible civil society groups to monitor welfare of detainees because cases of extralegal killings are high.
“We advocate the setting up of human rights departments in the Departments of State Services (DSS) , EFCC, ICPC and the restoration of a functioning human rights departments in the Police to check abuses of human rights and to train operatives to stop the wide spread use of torture and Arbitrary executions of crime suspects.
“We urge President Buhari and the National Assembly to invoke the constitutional provision allowing military training and the use of Fire arms for all law abiding young Nigerians even as we call for the liberalisation of gun licenses.
“Nigerians need to be Alive first to speak of human rights which in any event are inevitable and sacred. Mass killers need no rehabilitation but prosecution.
