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Tag: HURIWA

  • Ekweremadu to FG: Extend whistle-blower to arms proliferation

    Ekweremadu to FG: Extend whistle-blower to arms proliferation

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Wednesday urged the Federal Government to extend its whistle-blower policy in the anti-corruption war to the efforts to arrest the proliferation of arms.
    He said that whistle-blower policy should also be extended to incessant killings in various parts of the country.  
    Ekweremadu noted that the right to life remained the single most important human right.
    He insisted that unless such illicit arms were mopped up, the mass killings and destruction of lives and property would continue. 
    He also urged the Federal Government to ensure respect for human rights in the implementation of whistle-blower policy in the war against corruption and proliferation of arms.
    A statement by his media adviser, Uche Anichukwu, said that Ekweremadu spoke while paying host to a delegation of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), which paid a courtesy call to him in his office Wednesday. 
    Ekweremadu said: “Life has lost meaning in Nigeria and people are killed every day and everywhere in Nigeria and the Senate is very worried about it.
    “We just considered the report of the Senate Committee that investigated conflicts in many parts of Nigeria, especially the killings in Southern Kaduna. We asked the Committee to go back and do more work because the matter is such a very serious one. 
    “I also made it clear that it is important that just as we have addressed the issues of money laundering and corruption with the whistle-blower policy, it is time for us to bring that to bear on the issue of arms proliferation in the country.
    “People keep arms all over the place and some people know where they are. It is time that those who know where these arms are should be able to blow the whistle on them so that the security agencies will be able to go after them and ensure that they are seized and destroyed. So long as we have arms all over the place, the killings will continue”. 
    It said that while commending the Nigerian human rights community, especially HURIWA, for consistently standing up for the rights of Nigerians, Ekweremadu said human rights were at the heart of democracy.
    Ekweremadu said that all legitimate steps must be taken to preserve human rights as well as uphold constitutionalism and rule of law.
    Senator Ekweremadu, however, said that while he remained a proponent of whistle-blower policy, the invasion of people’s privacy without due diligence was completely unacceptable. 
    He noted that the Constitution guaranteed the protection of the people’s privacy, including their phones, and decried a situation where the courts, especially the magistrates courts, collude with security agencies to invade peoples homes on some spurious warrants.
    Such growing culture, he said, was “taking Nigeria back to the dark old days, because for you to go into peoples houses and search, there must be concrete evidence, due legal process, and not mere speculations”.
    He also called on the Nigerian Civil Society community to leverage on the CSOs Desk at the National Assembly to partner with the apex legislative body for good governance of the nation. 
    National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, extolled the efforts of the Senate to deepening Nigeria’s democracy and defending the separation of powers.
    Onwubiko said the recent amendment to the Electoral Act approving electronic voting was a cardinal move that would entrench democracy.
  • HURIWA proposes seven years imprisonment for political blackmailers

    HURIWA proposes seven years imprisonment for political blackmailers

    The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the National Assembly (NASS) to enact laws capable of sentencing political blackmailers to seven years imprisonment if found guilty.

    HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko made the call during a briefing, at his office in Abuja on the increasing trend of political blackmailing in the country.

    He alleged that same group who attempted to tarnish the image of the former Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had initially visited his office to use his platform for their hatchet job.

    He condemned corrupt practices among every section of the society including security operatives and dishonesty among insincere civil society groups.

    Onwubiko urged the federal government and top rank government officials to desist from the process of media trial to discourage corrupt practices and economic crimes.

    His Words: “The Right group wondered why unscrupulous person sometimes with powerful political sponsorship will seek to continuously attempt to recruit registered group that have credibility to do some sinister campaign when legally such organisations can be sued by those politically exposed persons whose well-earned good reputation as statesmen or women are being tarnished on the altar of sensational media stories.

    “The ongoing mass demonization and character assassination of some members of the political class whose political tenures in various offices have reminded untainted has created the erroneous impression that all political office holders in Nigeria are corrupt. This is a fallacy with far reaching negative implication for the standing in the international community of civilised nations of the Nigeria Nation-state.”

    However, HURIWA said it became imperative for it to go public with the information so members of the public would be made aware of such corrupt groups whose, ‘major preoccupation is to stoke the embers of hatred against targeted high profile Nigerians just because such persons may not agree to be blackmailed into paying huge payouts to such professional and career blackmailers.”

  • HURIWA: don’t drop expectant women from NYSC

    Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), an NGO, has urged the Federal Government not to stop expectant women and nursing mothers from participating in National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

    The HURIWA National Coordinator, Mr Emmanuel Onwubiko, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja that stopping them from taking part in the programme would be discriminatory.

    He said the action would deny them the opportunity of benefiting from the objectives of the scheme.

    According to Onwubiko, the move could jeopardise harmony in some families as wives, who were due for service, could deny their husbands intimate relationship for fear of being stopped from national service.

    He said the move also contravened Section 42 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    Onwubiko said the Constitution was clear that “government policy cannot be couched and implemented to primarily discriminate against any group of citizens under any guise.”

    Also speaking, Mr Patrick Odey, an activist, told NAN that it would not be proper to deny women the right to national service on account of pregnancy or nursing of babies.

    He said the move negates the aim of NYSC, which includes encouraging relationship among Nigerian youths.

  • Human rights’ activists support court martial

    •Seek Defence budget probe

    A pro-democracy, non-government organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has supported court martial by the Army.

    It urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to initiate a transparent, accountable and comprehensive investigation of the procurement processes in the Defence and the Police since 1999.

    In a statement yesterday by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said: “It is imperative that while the Nigerian system struggles to re-establish disciplinary regime among the rank-and-file of the Armed Forces, as it battles insurgency and terrorism in the Northeast, it is also germane that the country opens a probe of the remote and immediate circumstances surrounding the decline, which has afflicted our soldiers and how the once feared and respected Army has found it a task to defeat the ragtag Islamic rebels, who have threatened the corporate existence of the country.”

    HURIWA slammed the Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch of the United Kingdom and the United States of America for condemning the court martial.

    It said: “We advocate investigation of the expenditures in the procurement of military software and hardware since 1999 to determine what happened to the money said to have been released to the Defence and the Police.”

  • Group issues ultimatum to IGP over road blocks in South-East

    Group issues ultimatum to IGP over road blocks in South-East

    Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) yesterday gave a-21 day ultimatum to the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, to disband all alleged road blocks by his men in the South-Eastern states.

    HURIWA, according to its coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, has noticed road blocks at Owerri, Enugu and Onitsha.  Onwubiko, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja on the development, said the road block operation was re-introduced after the exit of the former Inspector-General of Police.

    The group vowed to petition President Goodluck Jonathan if after the ultimatum the road blocks are not removed.

    His words: “The state of check points in the South-East is alarming. The aim is to attack the civil populace. We found out that the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have gone back to the road with the return of checkpoints.

    “The moment the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, ordered the introduction of what he called Tactical Operational Points for the police in some northern states, other police operatives in other parts of the country have implemented it but it has not yet come to the South-East. I have led my team to see how the police operate in Owerri, Enugu and Onitsha. It is even worst in Onitsha.

    “They have started extortion and they punish people who do not comply. We are calling the Acting Inspector General of Police to put a stop to this gross human right violation. If you have police stationed in some parts of a state you do not need a road block.

    “We are begging because he is just acting and if he does not take action within 21 days, we are going to personally write a letter to the president demanding that he should not be confirmed.

    “He has a task before him; he is already going round the media houses begging for partnership but on this one the media cannot help him.

    “After all, the media also suffers the same intimidation. What will help him is to ensure that the road blocks around the South-East states are removed and further ensure the safety of lives and property.”

  • Clara Chime: HURIWA praises Falana

    The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, to offer within one week, an “unreserved public apology for the series of alleged violations of the rights of his wife and the women generally in a democratic society.

    The group also faulted the manner the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has handled the case so far.

    It urged the commission to speed up its investigation and make public its report within one week.

    It praised rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN) for his effort in making public, the alleged unjust detention of Mrs. Chime in the state’s Government House for weeks against her wish.

    The group, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, Nneka Okonkwo (Gender Specialist) and Zainab Yusuf (National Media Director), urged the Enugu State’s House of Assembly to commence impeachment process against the governor should he failed to offer the apology.

    HURIWA accused the Enugu government of perpetuating a deliberate policy of discriminating against women in the state.

    It said the state is among the few states yet to domesticate many of the pro-women and pro-children legislations like the Child’s Rights Act of 2003.

    “In fact, Enugu is one of the 12 States of the federation and the only state in Southern Nigeria yet to domesticate the Child’s Rights Act 2003.”

    It said the people should learn from the story of how the Enugu governor allegedly maltreated his wife in deciding who to vote for in future elections.

     

     

  • ‘INEC has failed in Anambra’

    ‘INEC has failed in Anambra’

    Two non–government organisations, the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and the Transparency Centre Network (TCN), have urged the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, to apologise for the flaws in last Saturday’s poll.

    The groups also enjoined INEC to prosecute the officials, who colluded to undermine the poll.

    National Coordinator of HURIWA Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, who served as the deputy chief of Mission for TCN, an officially-accredited observer and the National Director, Media Affairs of HURIWA, Miss Zainab Yusuf, said the failure of INEC in Anambra was an unfortunate foretaste of what might happen in 2015 unless and except comprehensive reforms were executed in INEC by the National Assembly.

    “The poll was a disappointment despite the preparations and funds committed to it. The election was marred by criminal shortage of sensitive materials and the inexplicable tampering with the voter register in which case many were denied their rights to civil and political freedoms.”

    The groups enjoined INEC to ensure that the supplementary election is conducted without waste of time.

    “We are sad that INEC has demonstrated that inefficiency and corruption, which were entrenched in INEC before the current leadership, have assumed a wider dimension and if these gaps are not fixed, the 2015 elections could precipitate major national conflagrations if the same administrative flaws seen in Anambra on November 16 are repeated at the national level.”

     

  • UNIUYO: Group condemns killing of protesting students

    UNIUYO: Group condemns killing of protesting students

    A non-governmental organization- Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria has condemned operatives of the Akwa Ibom State police command over their alleged high-handedness and use of live firearms which resulted in the killing of some protesting students of the University of Uyo.

    In a media release jointly signed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National media Affairs Director, Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said operatives of the Nigerian police have serially failed to comply with the United Nations basic principles on the use of force and firearms during peaceful protest by the civil populace just as it urged for immediate remedial measures to be adopted to save more innocent lives.

    The group, who bemoaned what it called “trigger happy” tendencies of armed police operatives to always empty their sophisticated weapons on peaceful protesters, demanded that the Federal Government through relevant agencies like the National Human Rights Commission and the Police Service Commission must train the police operative across board on strategies for complying with extant national and international principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials.

    It pointed out that the police operatives lacked the discipline to always exercise restraint in situations such as peaceful demonstrations by Nigerians and this serial official indiscretion by the police have resulted in the extra-legal killings of hundreds of Nigerians over the last 14 years.

    “We are worried by the report filed in by Independent observers at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State venue of the students’ protests which pointed accusing fingers on the police operatives for escalating the peaceful protest into a riot when some of the armed operatives allegedly shot and killed about five or so students.

    “Nigeria must bring to an end these serial violations by police operatives of the fundamental right to life of innocent citizens through extra legal executions,” HURIWA, stated.

    The group reminded police hierarchy of the United Nations basic principles on the use of force and fire arms by law enforcement officials as follows; “Rules and regulations on the use of firearms by law enforcement officials should include guidelines that: specify the circumstances under which law enforcement officials are authorized to carry firearms and prescribe the types of firearms and ammunition permitted; ensure that firearms are used only in appropriate circumstances and in a manner likely to decrease the risk of unnecessary harm; prohibit the use of those firearms and ammunition that cause unwarranted injury or present an unwarranted risk; regulate the control, storage and issuing of firearms, including procedures for ensuring that law enforcement officials are accountable for the firearms and ammunition issued to them; provide for warnings to be given, if appropriate, when firearms are to be discharged; and provide for a system of reporting whenever law enforcement officials use firearms in the performance of their duty.”

    It also canvassed for independent probe of the circumstances surrounding the death by road accident on the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road of five national officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Thursday.

    The NANS officials were on their way to Uyo to meditate in the discord between students and management of the Federal University of Uyo which snowballed into peaceful students’ protest.