The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has strongly criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the current military leadership for their complete failure to implement a winning strategy in the fight against terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.
The group expressed outrage over recent developments in Zamfara and Niger states, where terrorists have continued to terrorize local communities and capture military hardware, further exposing weaknesses in Nigeria’s security apparatus.
HURIWA took particular issue with President Tinubu’s decision to send a delegation led by the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to Sokoto as part of efforts to address banditry and terrorism in the North West.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement issued on Monday, dismissed this move as mere political posturing that fails to address the root causes of insecurity or provide a concrete strategy for victory.
“Sending a Minister or the CDS to Sokoto is not a strategy; it is a political stunt,” Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said. “Are these officials going to lead troops into battle? Are they going to dismantle terrorist networks themselves? This is not what Nigerians expect from their leaders. Nigerians want a real, winning strategy – something the current administration and military chiefs have failed to deliver.”
HURIWA called out what it sees as the underlying reasons for the persistent failure in the fight against terrorism: incompetence at the highest levels of the military and the politicization of key appointments.
The organization lamented that the President, possibly due to ethnic considerations or political patronage, has refused to appoint the most competent Generals to lead the nation’s armed forces.
“There is no excuse for the President to continue appointing incompetent military leaders when there are qualified generals across various ethnic groups who can lead this country out of the security quagmire,” HURIWA stated.
ALSO READ: Fuel Scarcity: HURIWA Faults NNPC Ltd
The continued reliance on generals who lack the strategic acumen to defeat terrorists is not only frustrating but dangerous for the country, HURIWA said.
“How can a country continue to fight terrorism for over a decade without any sign of victory? Some top generals in the military are using the counter-terrorism war as a multi-billion naira franchise for themselves.
There is no other explanation for the continuous failures we are witnessing. The President must put aside political considerations and appoint leaders based on merit if he truly wants to see an end to this crisis,” HURIWA declared.
