HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA)
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expresses its deepest outrage and alarm at the rapid descent of Nigeria into a theatre of unchecked violence, lawlessness, and institutional paralysis.
The country is no longer merely battling insecurity—it is confronting a frightening erosion of state authority.
We ask, without hesitation: who truly governs Nigeria today—the Federal Government or armed terrorist groups?
The latest development involving Boko Haram, which has issued a chilling 72-hour ultimatum over 416 abducted women and children in Borno State, represents a direct assault on Nigeria’s sovereignty. That a terrorist organisation can openly threaten mass disappearance, dictate timelines, and dare the Nigerian state to attempt a rescue operation is not just provocative—it is a declaration of operational dominance.
At the same time, Nigeria’s highways have become corridors of death. The recent attack on innocent travellers along the Ore–Benin expressway—where a commercial driver was murdered and passengers abducted—once again exposes the collapse of security on critical national routes. Citizens can no longer travel safely within their own country.
In Plateau State, particularly in Riyom and Barkin Ladi, communities are under relentless siege, with coordinated nighttime attacks leaving civilians dead and injured. Across other parts of the country, there are credible reports of terrorists launching assaults on military formations and killing soldiers—an alarming indication that even the defenders of the state are no longer secure.
These are not random incidents. They are symptoms of a nation drifting dangerously close to anarchy.
HURIWA states in the strongest terms that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must confront the hard truth: a government that cannot protect its citizens is fast losing its legitimacy. The continued failure to decisively defeat terrorism, banditry, and mass abductions raises fundamental questions about the effectiveness, coordination, and resolve of Nigeria’s security architecture.
A Commander-in-Chief who presides over a landscape where terrorists issue ultimatums, communities bury their dead in silence, and citizens resort to self-help cannot afford complacency. History is replete with examples of states that collapsed not because threats did not exist—but because leadership failed to respond with clarity and force.
A Nation on the Brink Requires Radical Action
HURIWA insists that Nigeria has reached a tipping point that demands bold, strategic, and immediate interventions:
• Total overhaul of the security command structure: The National Security Adviser, Service Chiefs, and the Inspector-General of Police must be placed on a strict performance deadline. Failure to produce visible, measurable improvements must result in immediate dismissal.
• National Security Emergency Framework: The Federal Government must declare a coordinated internal security emergency, integrating military, intelligence, and community-based responses with clear operational targets.
• Structured National Service Reform: Nigeria must initiate a robust national service framework that includes disciplined civic and security training for youths, aimed at building resilience, national unity, and emergency response capacity.
• Community Protection Architecture: Government must strengthen lawful, community-based security initiatives under strict regulation, ensuring that vulnerable populations are not left completely exposed to violent attacks.
• Technology-Driven Security Expansion: Immediate deployment of surveillance systems, drones, and intelligence networks across highways, forests, and rural communities to close existing security gaps.
HURIWA is fully aware that strong measures require careful implementation. However, the greater danger lies in inaction. Nigerians are increasingly losing faith in the ability of the state to protect them, and that erosion of trust is itself a national security threat.
Conclusion
Nigeria stands at a historic crossroads. The current trajectory—where terrorists act with impunity and citizens live in fear—is unsustainable. The government must decide whether it will reclaim its authority or continue to cede ground to forces of violence and chaos.
The protection of lives is not optional—it is the primary duty of the state.
Anything less is failure.
Signed:
Comrade Emmanuel NNADOZIE Onwubiko
National Coordinator
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)
21st April 2026
