HURIWA gives BUHARI  48-hour ultimatum to rescue kidnapped train passengers or …

Abiodun OBA

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has hande  President Muhammadu Buhari, a 48-hour ultimatum to rescue the over 100 kidnapped passengers of the AK-9 train bombed by terrorists on March 28, 2022 along the Abuja-Kaduna rail line.

In the event of failing to rescue the abductees, the group said President Buhari should either be impeached or alternatively, fire his service chiefs.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Wednesday, national coordinator of the body, Emmanuel Onwubiko said, “The federal government should either free all hostages held by kidnappers and terrorists within 48 hours or the Senate should begin the impeachment of the President.

“In the alternative, President Muhammadu Buhari should dismiss his military chiefs to bring in competent officers to salvage the situation of extremely heightened insecurity caused by insider compromises and abuses within the strategic national security institutions”.

The release further read: “It is absolutely inconceivable that we claim that there is a federal government in Nigeria but abducted Kaduna-Abuja train passengers are still in captivity ten weeks after their abduction. It is a monumental show of incompetence and a demonstration that Nigeria does not have a solidly independent National Assembly that citizens are kidnapped by terrorists and for ten Weeks they are still not freed and the government is seen begging armed non state actors to release their hostages as if to say the government has reached its wits end.

“If government which should control the maximum power of controlled violence and coercion is crippled, then the next best option is for them to throw in the towel so that more competent persons can take charge. The primary constitutional duty of government as enshrined in Section 14(2) (b) is the protection of lives and property of the citizens.”

It called on government to focus its energy on rescuing the abducted victims rather than preparing to resume train services on the corridor as recently stated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC.