Brig.-Gen. Uba Killing: HURIWA Blasts Akpabio Over ‘Crime Happens Everywhere’ Comment

Civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has condemned Senate President Godswill Akpabio for what it described as an “insensitive, careless and unbecoming” response to the worsening insecurity in the country, following the killing of Brig.-Gen. Musa Uba in Borno State and the abduction of 25 schoolgirls and a vice principal in Kebbi State.

The group in a statement on Wednesday said it was “shocked and disappointed” that Akpabio could “normalise terror attacks” at a time when Nigerians are traumatised by rising violence, including the abduction of dozens of students from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State in the North-West.

The controversy began during Tuesday’s plenary when lawmakers debated the killing of Brig.-Gen. Uba and the Kebbi abduction which occurred within 24 hours.

Akpabio urged Nigerians to maintain perspective, insisting that crime exists in every country, including global powers like the United States.

“We sympathise deeply with the families affected, but we must remember that Nigeria is a very large country,” the Senate President said.

“It is not even possible to deploy one policeman to each polling unit during elections. Our security agencies are overstretched and find themselves in places they shouldn’t ordinarily be.”

He continued: “There is no society without crime. Even the almighty America records crime on a daily basis. But we must continue to do our best to minimise it.”

HURIWA said Akpabio’s remarks amounted to downplaying a national tragedy and showing disregard for the families affected. “The Senate President’s comments were thoughtless and insensitive.

“He wouldn’t be this flippant if some of the girls abducted at gunpoint in Kebbi were his daughters,” said the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko.

The organisation accused the Federal Government of lacking transparency and accountability in military procurement, arguing that repeated terrorist ambushes – including the attack on troops deployed to rescue the Kebbi schoolgirls – show that soldiers are poorly equipped and inadequately supported.

“The attack on troops heading to rescue the Kebbi schoolgirls, barely 24 hours after the Chief of Army Staff issued fresh orders, is further evidence that our soldiers are being sent out with inferior hardware and inadequate intelligence,” HURIWA stated.

HURIWA criticised Akpabio’s comparison to the United States, describing it as “childish and irrational.” According to the group, “The U.S. Congress would never allow its government to be so insensitive and weak as to fail to equip its military properly.

“Nigeria’s situation cannot be compared to any sovereign nation because the National Assembly here is too weak, compromised and corrupt to carry out effective oversight,” the statement said.

The group added that Nigeria has witnessed multiple successful ambushes in which soldiers were killed and military hardware stolen by terrorists, pointing to the recent Kebbi ambush in which several troops were injured while responding to the abduction.

It recalled that the attack came shortly after the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, ordered troops of Operation Fasin Yamma to “go all out” to rescue the abducted students, stressing, “You must continue day and night fighting. We must find these children.” Shaibu also directed commanders to act on intelligence swiftly and professionally.

HURIWA argued that for the government to regain public trust, statements must be backed by decisive action. “It is pitiable that the Army sends out soldiers on rescue missions with inferior weapons and without high-grade intelligence. This makes them easy targets for terrorists,” the group said.

Onwubiko questioned how many more ambushes would occur before the military adopts superior strategies asking, “Why should terrorists be allowed to ambush soldiers as if the nation lacks drone technology and intelligence capability to track terrorist movements before deployment?”