A pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group – Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) of Nigeria – has condemned the Katsina State governor, Dikko Radda, for applauding communities rocked by insecurity for holding peace deals with bandits in the State.
Radda stated this last weekend during his visit to Batsari and Danmusa local councils as part of his ongoing tour of the state.
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said any sort of approval of peace talks that would lead to the non-proseccution of terrorists for the crimes against humanity they committed and the bloodshed they unleashed on communities and citizens of Nigeria amounted to a support for terrorists which is delegitimised and criminalised by the extant counter terrorism law of Nigeria.
The Rights group quoted the governor as saying that the peace deal entered into with bandits has yielded positive results in councils that were affected by insecurity.
The Rights group quoting media report stated that as a proof, the governor, during the tour, drove on the road that passes through the dreaded Danburum forest in Batsari Local Council.
The forest, the media recalled was a haven for bandits and hundreds of people have lost their lives there, among other atrocities committed by the bandits. However, with the recent deal between communities and bandits, the forest has become relatively peaceful, with farming and related activities gradually picking up.
The Rights group said the media reported that the governor’s convoy briefly stopped in the middle of the forest on Friday and some passengers disembarked, trekked some distance into the forest, and picked some edible wild fruits that they ate. A source in the convoy said some of the fruits were later given to the governor and some of the dignitaries with him.
The governor said though the state is not totally free from the activities of bandits, the peace deal has led to improved security in communities affected by the challenge.
“We thank God that the peace deal initiative organised by the communities is yielding a very positive result. “I can say that in the last few days, I have not received one single incident in the state from the security forces like I had been receiving,” he said.
HURIWA however blasted the governor and charged the security forces to investigate the governor for his statement which is tantamount to providing support for terrorists just as the Rights group said for the country to defeat terrorists, the law against the support of terrorists and the counter terrorism law specifically must be implemented to a logical conclusion.
“It is unfortunate that in some sections of Nigeria, those who swore oaths of office and pledged allegiance to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are the same persons now putting up defensive propositions and approving meetings with terrorists who have declared war against the Sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To say that we are disappointed with the Katsina state governor is to put it mildly. We are calling for his investigation and for the Intelligence community to put the governor on their watch list of individuals suspected to have openly canvassed support for terrorists.
HURIWA recalled that in Nigeria, supporting terrorism, including soliciting or rendering support (financial, material, or otherwise) for terrorist acts or groups, carries a severe penalty of at least 20 years imprisonment, under the Terrorism (Prevention) Act (TPA) as amended, with the potential for the death penalty if death results from the terrorist act, especially under the newer 2022 Act. Other offenses like attending terrorist meetings also attract minimum 20-year sentences.
Key Penalties Under Nigerian Law:
• Soliciting/Rendering Support: Anyone who knowingly solicits or provides support for a terrorist act or group faces a minimum of 20 years in prison.
• Terrorist Meetings: Attending meetings to support a proscribed organization is punishable by at least 20 years imprisonment.
• Terrorist Acts Leading to Death: The law provides for the death penalty if a terrorist act results in death, covering offenses like hostage-taking and attacks on protected persons.
• Other Related Offences: Penalties for other offenses, such as harbouring terrorists, training, recruitment, and dealing with terrorist property, also carry minimum 20-year sentences.
Legal Framework:
• The primary law is the Terrorism (Prevention) Act (TPA), updated by the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
• These acts establish stringent penalties, focusing on lengthy minimum jail terms for many terrorism-related crimes, notes the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) website.
Besides, HURIWA said the federal government must be resolute in the implementation and enforcement of the components of the counter terrorism strategies embodied in the recently declared state of security emergency in Nigeria to rescue the over seven thousand victims of abductions by terrorists who are languishing in the forests across 7 states located mostly in the North West of Nigeria.
HURIWA had expected that since over a week that emergency declaration was made in the defence and national security sector, that there would have been improvements in the area of the effectiveness of the security architecture, sadly, there has been no respite from terrorist attacks as the terrorists have renewed their onslaught against Nigerians. Thousands of the victims have been killed, many are living in IDPs camps while thousands of others are still languishing in terrorist camps scattered across the country especially in the north.
HURIWA gathered from media investigation that from Sokoto to Zamfara, Niger to Kwara, Kaduna, Kogi and Kano, armed groups are holding men, women, children, farmers, students and even monarchs in captivity—some for months, others for years—as the nation watches a humanitarian catastrophe deepen.
The Rights organisation noted that although the exact number of those still in captivity in Niger state cannot be officially ascertained, no fewer than 376 persons abducted from the state are believed to still be held captive by the terrorists.
The latest kidnap was that of pupils, students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic school, Papiri in Agwara Local Government Area of the state where 315 people were ferried into the forest two weeks ago.
HURIWA recalled that however, 50 of them were said to have miraculously escaped as they were being taken into the forest. As at now, 265 persons, comprising 239 nursery/primary school pupils, 14 secondary school students and 14 members of staff of the school are still with the bandits in an unknown destination.
In Kwara state, no fewer than twelve persons including a monarch Oba Ojibara of Bayagan, Alh Rafiu Salami was abducted penultimate Saturday in his farm in Bayagan in Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state while one Fulani (whose identity could not be ascertained at press time) and had lived in Isapa Ekiti local government for many years was reportedly abducted for close to a month. Indication emerged that ten persons abducted in Isapa last week Monday evening around 7pm are still in the captivity of the terrorists.
HURIWA quoted a public analyst and social commentator, Altine Guyawa, as informing that no fewer than 500 residents of Sokoto state are currently being held captive by armed kidnappers operating across 13 local government areas of Sokoto state. Guyawa described the situation as “a humanitarian disaster that is worsening by the day.”
He said that 260 victims, including women, are being held in Goronyo, Sabon Birni, and Isa Local Government Areas. He explained that in Kware and Wurno Local Government Areas alone, 36 abducted persons remain in captivity as their abductors continue to demand ransom.
In Rabah, Tureta, and Dange/Shuni, kidnappers are still holding 56 victims, many of whom have spent months in harsh conditions deep inside forest camps. Guyawa further revealed that another 136 victims are being held in Illela, Tangaza, Gudu, Binji, and Silame Local Government Areas, with most families unable to raise the millions of naira demanded for their release. He added that an unspecified number of victims are being held in Kebbe Local Government Area in the southern part of the state, where access to communities has become increasingly dangerous.
The Rights group described as devastating the statistical data that emerged from Zamfara showing that it has the single largest numbers of Nigerians still being held in captivity deep inside the dreaded Zamfara forests just as the figure was put by experts at over 6,000 kidnapped victims in captivity in Zamfara
In Zamfara State, although there were no official records of the number of kidnapped victims in captivity, it was gathered from members of the communities that over six thousand victims are still being held in over 100 terrorist camps scattered across forests in the state being operated by different leaders. HURIWA is advocating massive counter insurgency measures hy security forces to defeat terrorists. Nigerians are tired of excuses and stories from politicians and the National Security Adviser.