HURIWA to MACBAN: Your threats can’t silence truth

Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) has blamed the climate of impunity under President Muhammadu Buhari for the continuous threats unleashed on the leadership of the civil rights advocacy group for condemning the atrocities of armed Fulani herdsmen, who have received support from some persons parading as officials of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN). 

The group, in a statement by its coordinator, Emmanuel Onuwbiko, said even the United States of America, through numerous reports, have recorded that there is official impunity in Nigeria in the current dispensation and that too many people connected to officials of government are getting away with too many crude crimes, including mass murders. 

HURIWA spoke against the backdrops of series of threatening calls made to their official line each time it condemns the attacks on farmers by armed Fulani herdsmen just as the Rights group is reacting to a public statement by the leadership of the umbrella body of herders, known as MACBAN, which insisted that it was different from Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and warned the rights group to stop ascribing the actions and comments of the latter to it.

The body recalled that the National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, in a statement Friday night stated: “The people HURIWA quoted to have made statements on Ruga have nothing to do with MACBAN and neither did MACBAN say anything to warrant being tagged “Supporter of Terrorism”. It amounts to reckless mischief by a group, which ought to know better that their writings have the power to cause genocide. Rwanda is an example on how writers caused the genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in which over a million people were killed.”

HURIWA, however, restated its determination to continue to call on the central government and the international community to take action to stop the regime of impunity and lawlessness in Nigeria manifested by the failure of the Federal Government to arrest, prosecute and punish armed Fulani herdsmen that have unleashed devastating bloodcurdling violence on communities all over Nigeria.