The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the apparent inaction of the Nigerian government and the silence of President Bola Tinubu following the killing of Brigadier General M. Uba by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in Borno State.
HURIWA in a statement on Tuesday by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko described the circumstances surrounding the capture and execution of General Uba as “regrettable” and “shameful,” highlighting what it called unprecedented breaches in Nigeria’s national security architecture.
“That a Brigadier General was let down by the Nigerian Army to be slaughtered by ISWAP is regrettable, shameful,” the civil society organization said.
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HURIWA noted that the terrorists’ ability to locate General Uba and execute him demonstrated either infiltration of the Nigerian Army by ISWAP affiliates or sabotage of the national security communication infrastructure.
The group called on the military to investigate how the terrorists were able to breach security protocols and track the General’s location.
“HURIWA expected that by now, the higher authority in the Armed Forces of Nigeria would have set up an investigative panel to uncover how the communication network of the security forces was infiltrated by ISWAP, who reportedly traced the precise location of the General and carried out his execution,” the statement read.
The rights group further questioned the initial account provided by the Army, which had claimed that General Uba survived the ambush and returned safely to base.
“Then why did the Nigerian Army lie to Nigerians that General Uba returned to base successfully with his troops after beating the ambush of ISWAP?
“Why are the flag of Nigeria not flying at half-mast to signify the severity of the disgraceful capture of a serving General? Why did the Army not learn lessons from the 2021 capture of a serving General by ISWAP?” HURIWA asked.
The attack occurred on Friday along Damboa Road, Wajiroko, Borno State, when ISWAP fighters ambushed a convoy transporting military equipment.
The gun battle reportedly left two soldiers and two Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) operatives dead, while at least 17 military motorcycles were seized by the insurgents.
Following the ambush, General Uba was reportedly abducted, but the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Onyechi Anele, denied the reports, claiming that Uba and his troops had forced the insurgents to retreat. Anele added that Uba had released a video statement confirming he was unharmed and fully in command.
HURIWA, however, cited Reuters reports quoting ISWAP’s Amaq news channel, which confirmed the General had been executed. “We wonder how the Nigerian Army is really feeling the impact of brazenly lying to Nigerians that the General wasn’t executed, only for foreign news channels to quote materials from the terrorists showing proof that General Uba was executed like a common criminal by Islamist terrorists,” the organization stated.
The human rights group also criticized President Tinubu for failing to address the nation following the high-profile killing. “The killing of a top-ranking military officer should have prompted the security institutions, under the command of President Tinubu, to declare that Nigeria is at war, or at least escalate the threat level and expand the counter-terrorism war with a clear timeline given to the heads of security forces to defeat the terrorists,” HURIWA said.
“It is sad that the General was let down by the institution of the Army to be slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb by terrorists. Some of these same terrorists, captured by the federal government in recent months, were reintegrated and allowed to return to the same communities where they had unleashed widespread bloodshed,” the statement added.
HURIWA also questioned the government’s refusal of international assistance. “Why is the Nigerian State in unholy communion with Islamic terrorists? When the USA offered to assist to bomb these terrorists out of existence, the current government has been kicking against the offer by President Donald John Trump to wipe out terrorists,” the group said.