HURIWA Seeks Return of Dreaded ‘Bakassi Boys’ to Tackle Insecurity in South East
Alex Enumah in Abuja
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has made a case for the return of the dreaded “Bakassi Boys”, a local vigilante group, to tackle the worsening insecurity in the Southeast of Nigeria, especially Anambra State, where scores were daily killed and properties worth millions destroyed.
The group made the call during a parley with journalists in Abuja, over the issue of insecurity in the country.
National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, expressed worry that Anambra State has become largely unstable with insecurity becoming a commonplace.
Listing the numbers of death due to kidnapping for ransom as well as senseless killings of citizens by “unknown gunmen”, Onwubiko submitted that it was time that concrete actions were taken to checkmate the menace in the region.
“We suggest that since the existing security measures in place, including the establishment of a state-wide vigilantes, have proven insufficient to bring about the defeat of these armed terrorists terrorising Anambra people and other citizens of Nigeria who live in Anambra State, there is now the need for the governments of the South-East of Nigeria to consider Re-introducing the Dreaded Bakassi Boys, train them, armed them, provide strict regulations with adherence to the Rule of Law, so these armed but regulated Bakassi Boys can be authorised to confront the South East based terror gangs who have no justifiable reasons to continue to kill innocent Igbo people going about their legitimate duties.
“We call on the governor of Anambra State, Mr. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to consult the defunct leadership of old Bakassi Boys in Anambra State, to provide strategic guidelines for the new Bakassi Boys to adhere to do as to degrade, decimate and liquidate these armed terrorists, kidnappers and hoodlums unleashing violence of massive scales in all of South East of Nigeria but more especially in Anambra State,” he said.
HURIWA claimed that attacks on the residents of Anambra was a well-crafted plots by enemies of Ndigbo to destroy massive infrastructure development put in place by the good people of the state, adding that there was a plot to destabilisethe South East and unfortunately, the foot soldiers doing all these were from Anambra State.
While also touching insecurity in Northern Nigeria, Onwubiko lamented that bandits and terrorists have continued to wreak havoc in the area with the killings and abductions of citizens including medical personnel in hospitals.
To tackle the situation, HURIWA called on the people to always report any crimes or illegal activities to the appropriate authorities, stressing that prompt notification of law enforcement or relevant agencies about suspicious or unlawful actions is crucial in preventing crime, apprehending offenders, and safeguarding their communities.
