Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), on Tuesday, hailed vigilantes in Kogi State over the rescue of 134 victims kidnapped from various parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said it is worrisome that the FCT Police Command has failed woefully in its responsibility of securing lives and property in the nation’s capital.
The group said with the performance of vigilantes in Nigeria, it is only appropriate that President Muhammadu Buhari assents to the Vigilante Group of Nigeria Establishment Bill 2022 earlier passed by the National Assembly.
HURIWA said constitutional and legal backing for vigilantes in the country will contribute significantly in the fight against kidnapping and crimes generally as these men understand the forest where kidnappers operate in.
According to Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kogi State, Onogwu Muhammed, the victims kidnapped by gunmen in Abuja were rescued during recent vigilante operations in forests in some parts of Kogi and Nasarawa states.
The vigilantes were said to have stormed the kidnappers’ hideouts in the Odullo forest of Kogi and Sardauna in Nasarawa State, rescuing victims who were abducted from Abaji, Kuje, and Kwali in FCT, as well as the Toto council area of Nasarawa.
In recent times, many cases of kidnappings abound in Abuja. Scores have been abducted this year alone with about 70 persons killed and 194 abducted by bandits and other criminals in 2022, according to data by an indigenous intelligence outfit, Beacon Consulting.
HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “The act of bravery by Vigilantes in Kogi State is most commendable. President Muhammadu Buhari should speedily assent to the Vigilante Group of Nigeria Establishment Bill to give legal backing to the local security guards and make them operate more efficiently. There is no doubt that being locals themselves, kidnapping and other crimes will reduce with their involvement alongside other security agencies.”
