The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the Nigerian Army for the killing of a civilian, Ugochukwu Oghenekaro Bonny, in Warri, Delta State, accusing the military of attempting to justify unlawful bloodshed and deepening concerns about civil–military accountability.

In a statement signed on Saturday by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group responded to the Army’s defence of a soldier, Lance Corporal Sefiu Ibrahim, linked to the stabbing death of Bonny at the gate of a private estate on October 12, 2025.

The group described the Army’s response as alarming, saying it trivialised the sanctity of civilian life and raised serious questions about the rules governing military conduct in civilian environments.

HURIWA expressed shock that a trained soldier was deployed as a guard at a private estate, asking under what constitutional or operational framework such an arrangement was permitted. According to the group, the trend reflects a dangerous expansion of military presence in civilian spaces.

“The creeping militarisation of civilian spaces is breeding impunity and avoidable loss of life,” the association warned.

The rights group said the circumstances surrounding Bonny’s death remained deeply troubling, noting that the deceased was reportedly visiting a friend when an altercation at the estate gate escalated into fatal violence.

“It is unconscionable that a soldier allegedly drew a jack-knife and stabbed a civilian to death at close range, yet the Army now seeks to cloak the incident with the language of self-defence,” HURIWA stated.

It warned that internal investigations conducted without public scrutiny only reinforce the perception that the military acts as “judge and jury” in cases involving civilian deaths.

The group disclosed that it had facilitated contact between the bereaved family and renowned human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), who has indicated readiness to take up the case.

HURIWA stressed that its position was not driven by hostility toward the armed forces but by a commitment to the rule of law.

“A military perceived as excusing civilian deaths under contested claims of self-defence risks losing moral authority and public trust,” the group said, adding that justice for Bonny would be a defining test of the Army’s adherence to constitutional restraint.