HURIWA demands whereabouts of paraded suspected kidnappers

A pro-democracy and non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to transparently account for the whereabouts of the well over 300 paraded suspected armed Fulani bandits, kidnappers and other sundry armed hoodlums arrested by them since the early part of this year.

HURIWA said it was regrettable that the police forcefully and frequently parade hundreds of suspected armed kidnappers and hoodlums but only very few, notably the billionaire kidnapper, Mr. Evans, has been prosecuted whereas all others arrested around the northern axis made up of armed Fulani herdsmen-turned bandits and kidnappers have seldom been known to have been prosecuted the same way as Evans.

HURIWA, in a statement signed yesterday in Abuja by its National Co-ordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, stated that there is the urgency for the top hierarchy of the Nigeria Police Force to transparently render accounts publicly and open up the books and detention facilities to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and credible civil rights advocacy groups all across the country to verify the exact situations concerning the progress of prosecution or otherwise of the well over 300 paraded suspected armed Fulani bandits and kidnappers.

Meanwhile, a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Enugu, Mr. Ude Augustine Okey, has been reported kidnapped by gunmen at the weekend.

It was gathered that Okey was kidnapped along Enugu-Awgu Road on his way to Enugu.

There were reports that the abductors had contacted his family members and demanded N50 million ransom.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Enugu, Ebere Amaraizu, said the police had commenced investigations and were working seriously to get him released unhurt.