₦airaland Forum

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has advised all the traditional rulers in Imo State to resign their position without further delay.

HURIWA said the call becomes imperative following the persistent terrorist attacks targeting the lives and property of traditional rulers in the State and the clear inability and unwillingness of the government to find a practicable solution to it.

The human rights group wants the traditional rulers to quit until such a time that governor Hope Uzodinma would put a framework in place to effectively stop the killings and punish the murderers.

HURIWA, has for the umpteenth time, urged governor Uzodinma to make peace with the stakeholders and groups in the state including the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB).

HURIWA said the Governor who, according to it, is seen frequently in Abuja and is being rumoured to be running Imo State’s Government machinery from the FCT, should live in Owerri, the Imo State capital to be able to coordinate practical meetings with every known and identifiable groups and individuals playing a role in the insecurity tearing apart the Heartland of Igbo nation.

“Although we are not convinced that the people responsible for the series of assassinations of traditional rulers are affiliated to either the IPOB or the Eastern Security Network, ESN, because we suspect the involvement of members of the deep state from Abuja but we think the Imo State governor must hold peace talks with identifiable groups to find workable panacea to the systematic degeneration of security and the evolution of impunity, lawlessness and collapse of law enforcement mechanisms in Imo State. No amount of sacrifices is not worth making to put an end to the cocktail of coordinated murders of traditional rulers in Imo State,” the group said.

HURIWA expressed disappointment that even with the presence of the Department of State Services, DSS in Imo State, the secret police have yet to come to terms with the characters executing the systematic killings of traditional rulers in Imo State.

HURIWA said if the Imo State governor refuses to organize far-reaching meetings to discuss, negotiate and reach a deal or deals with all the identifiable groups and stakeholders in the Imo State debacle including political actors, then Imo State traditional rulers should save their lives by resigning from their apparently non-rewarding positions.

HURIWA wondered why traditional rulers should become prime targets when indeed they are so financially oppressed and marginalised by the Imo State government to an extent that if one considers what a traditional ruler earns in Katsina State, the paltry amount of fees paid to selected first-class traditional rulers in Imo State pales into insignificance.

“We appeal to every aggrieved group and persons to please stop the violence in Imo State and embrace constructive dialogue.

“The Primary duty of every government is the protection of lives and property of the citizens and since Imo State is degenerating to an arena and theatre of assassinations, no solution should be discountenanced.

“If on the other hand the Imo State Governor continues to hibernate in the federal capital territory and is relying on military force to restore law and order in Imo State, then we are hereby asking Imo State traditional rulers to immediately throw in the towel to avoid becoming unnecessary collateral damage.

HURIWA in a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Director Miss Zainab Yusuf said Imo State’s insecurity has reached such a dimension that a state of emergency should be declared.

It condemned the incessant killings of Imo citizens and traditional rulers and urged the governor to stop his excessive reliance on military forces which has always been misdirected and misapplied to carry out extra-judicial killings of Imo youths.

HURIWA recalled that the traditional ruler of Atta community, Njaba Local Government Area of the State, Edwin Azike, who was kidnapped last Thursday, was murdered by his assailants.

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Although we are not convinced that the people responsible for the series of assassinations of traditional rulers are affiliated to either the IPOB or the Eastern Security Network, ESN