Insurgency: Call Off Your Summer Break-HURIWA Tells NASS

A pro-democracy Non-Governmental Organization-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [HURIWA] has criticized as ruthless and reckless the decision by the National Assembly to proceed on prolonged summer break at this precarious period of the highest manifestation of insecurity and anarchy across Northern Nigeria and urged the hierarchy of the national legislature to call off the unwarranted annual recess and partner with the central government to tackle the rising security nightmares.

The Rights group also called on President Good luck Jonathan to set up a national war council charged with the onerous task of mobilizing all law abiding Nigerians to brace up to face the unprecedented security challenges foisted on the nation by the armed terrorists terrorizing the country even as it has for the umpteenth time appealed to the Federal Government to liberalize the process of acquisition of arms by citizens deemed mentally sound and free from criminal activities so as to enhance the right to life especially of villagers in the frontline of the counter insurgency war who have borne the highest brunt of the murderous attacks by insurgents.

In a statement issued in reaction to heightened state of insecurity in North East and North West Nigeria and the increasing state of anxiety among residents of the nation's capital who are apprehensive of threats of terror attacks by the armed Islamic Terrorists, HURIWA through the national Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf said it was cruel, heartless and uncaring for the national legislators and their immediate family members to jet out on public expenses in the name of summer break to Europe and choice tourists sites in the United States at this time while most law abiding citizens are bombarded by the systematic and murderous attacks by armed insurgents.

Comparing the current summer recess by the National Assembly to comprehensive dereliction of constitutional duty by the legislators, the Rights group said it was regrettable that since 2011 that the insurgency became unprecedented the National Assembly has failed abysmally to explore the use of section 220[1] and [2] of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended which permits compulsory military training for citizens to fashion out more creative and effective panacea to the rising gruesome killings of Nigerians by armed insurgents or even make law to liberalize weapons' ownership to check the rising cases of genocidal killings of villagers by gun wielding armed terrorists.

Citing the failure of the National Assembly to attend to the pending request by President Jonathan for a foreign credit facility to procure necessary combat infrastructure to battle insurgency the Rights group stated: "Although we have made our position known regarding the request for $1 billion USD loan demand by the Federal Government to enhance the counter terrorism war in which we proffered alternative internal funding mechanism rather than foreign loan to fight the current anti-terror war but by not attending to the pending request by the Presidency for whatever it is worth has showed the members of the National Assembly as lacking the necessary comprehensive apprehension of the extent of threats against the sovereignty of Nigeria that is posed by the armed terrorists now on the verge of assuming territorial ownership and control of parts of Borno and Adamawa states. We call on the Government to set up a war council to mobilize Nigerians to contribute significantly towards defeating the nation's common threat which is armed insurgency.

The National Assembly ought to be on seat by now to even create other extra constitutional means of tackling the increased challenges of insecurity posed by the armed insurgents as this is not the time for merry making summer holiday but a perilous time that demands that all patriotic hands must be on the deck to workout realistic and effective solution to the spiraling violence ."