The Guardian (Nigeria)

Group tasks Tinubu on release of Kanu, security rejig

- By Oluwatosin Babatunde

Crights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Associatio­n of Nigeria, ( HURIWA), yesterday, urged the newly inaugurate­d President Bola Tinubu to reorganise the nation’s security architectu­re and release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The group also demanded police reforms, and general economic revival of the country on top list of the things, the new administra­tion should face squarely.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinato­r, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said Nigerians expect President Tinubu to immediatel­y change the present crop of service chiefs whose incompeten­ce plunged Nigeria into a killing field of sort in the last eight years.

The group urged the new President to quickly replace the current heads of security agencies and bring in fresh blood with new ideas to protect the nation against banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, herdsmen aggression, amongst others.

HURIWA also asked President Tinubu to broker peace with all secessioni­st agitators in the country, saying no man will want to leave Nigeria if there is inclusion in governance for all parts of the country, one of the main ideas shunned by the now inglorious­ly departed administra­tion of Muhammadu Buhari.

Onwubiko said: “President Bola Tinubu should quickly settle in and start work as Nigeria is already in economic and security crises created by the same All Progressiv­es Congress ( APC) administra­tion of his predecesso­r, Muhammadu Buhari, who ran Nigeria aground for eight full years.

“The new President must focus on security, reorganisa­tion of heads of armed forces, the Department of State Services ( DSS) and Police, police reforms, state police not controlled by governors, amongst others.

“He should shun nepotism in strategic security appointmen­ts, which Buhari did to divide Nigerians and made some regions to feel they are unimportan­t in the scheme of things.

“We call for a national truth and reconcilia­tion commission just like that of South Africa. Also, we call for immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu and cessation of all hostilitie­s in the South east by armed groups.”

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