A pro-democracy group, Human
Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the early Morning
massacre of scores of worshippers at the Saint Philips Catholic church, OZUBULU
in Anambra state by armed freelance attackers.
HURIWA accused the Federally
controlled security forces in the Anambra state of abysmally failing in their
constitutional responsibility and duty to the citizenry by the clear lack of
coordinated security operations in that part of Anambra State which made it
much easier for hoodlums who are allegedly well armed to drive straight to an
important place of worship on a solemn day to commit horrendous mass murder.
In a statement by the National
Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director
Miss Zainab Yusuf, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA ( HURIWA) said
it was absolutely unacceptable that humongous budgetary releases are made
towards maintaining armed security forces in Nigeria but when the occasion
calls for the operatives to exercise their lawful obligations of safeguarding
the lives and property of citizens they are not only found wanting but
scampering for lazy excuses for such a devastating security breach which
occasioned the gruesome massacre of dozens of unarmed and law abiding citizens
inside a Church on a Sunday morning.
HURIWA said the serial and
spectacular inability of the Nigeria’s federal police to secure Nigerians all
across the length and breath of the Country supports the urgency of now to
bring about the State policing institutions to be composed of well trained,
well motivated and well mobilised Police operatives to secure all parts of
Nigeria.
The Rights group demanded the
sack of the Anambra State Police commissioner and the Director of State
services (DSS) for sleeping on their constitutional duties which allowed armed
freelance killers to embark on this despicable rampage with far reaching
damages to many precious lives of Worshippers.
The group however asked state
houses of assembly and governors to set up armed vigilante to be stationed in
communities and made up of well trained, motivated and paid volunteers from the
communities to bridge the apparent lacuna noticed in the modus Operandi of
existing security forces which are centrally located only in major cities or
attached to politicians as bodyguards.
HURIWA quoting impeccable
reportorial source recalled that an unspecified number of people have
reportedly been killed at St Phillip’s Catholic Church in Ozubulu, a town in
Ekwusigo local government area of Anambra state.
A witness said some gunmen, who
concealed their identities with masks, broke into the church around 6am when
the first mass service was holding just as the eye witness affirmed that the
armed mass murderers after they gained entry identified a particular man whom
they shot.
HURIWA also recalled that the
gunmen then reportedly went on rampage and “shot at the remaining worshippers
numbering over 100”.
“HURIWA hereby condemn this
atrocious and primitive attack targeting these soft targets as an outrageous
and barbaric act which must not go unpunished. Government must wake up from
slumber and play its legal duty of protecting the lives and property of the
Nigerian citizens”.
“We in the Human Rights community
are indeed shocked and disappointed that with all the security votes spent in
buying vehicles for the Nigeria Police and other security forces that this type
of brazenly murderous atrocities can happen and the perpetrators were neither
stopped from carrying out their dastardly crime nor were they arrested so as to
prosecute and punish them severely for these grave crime against humanity.
Anambra State governor must ensure that those who planned and executed this
massacre in Ozubulu are arrested, prosecuted swiftly and decisively punished to
serve as deterrent. By the way why is Anambra state not secured additionally by
armed vigilante similar to the civilian joint task force that exists in some
states even when billions are expended as security votes yearly?”.
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