HURIWA Slams Tinubu, Military Leaders Over Failure To Combat Banditry

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA) has berated President Bola Tinubu and the country’s military leadership for failing to combat the insecurity situation in the country.

The group pointed to the recent developments in Zamfara and Niger states, where terrorists have not only continued to terrorize local communities but also managed to capture military hardware.

Speaking via a statement on Monday, the group shared their reservation over President Bola Tinubu’s decision to send a delegation led by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to Sokoto as part of efforts to address banditry and terrorism in the North West.

The group insisted that it was mere political posturing that failed to address the root causes of insecurity or provide a concrete strategy for victory.

HURIWA questioned the effectiveness of dispatching high-profile government officials to Sokoto without a clear, actionable plan.

The statement read in part, “Sending a Minister or the CDS to Sokoto is not a strategy; it is a political stunt. Are these officials going to lead troops into b? Are they going to dismantle terrorist networks themselves?

“This is not what Nigerians expect from their leaders. Nigerians want a real, winning strategy, something the current administration and military chiefs have failed to deliver.

“There is no excuse for the President to continue appointing incompetent military leaders when there are qualified generals across various ethnic groups who can lead this country out of the security quagmire. The continued reliance on generals who lack the strategic acumen to defeat these terrorists is not only frustrating but dangerous for the country,”

“How can a country continue to fight terrorism for over a decade without any sign of victory? Some top Generals in the military are using the counter-terrorism war as a multi-billion naira franchise for themselves. There is no other explanation for the continuous failures we are witnessing. The President must put aside political considerations and appoint leaders based on merit if he truly wants to see an end to this crisis.”