A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has carpeted the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, over what it termed “provocative” statement threatening that the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will wage war on South-east of Nigeria over the activities of some Igbo youths clamouring for self-government.
The group also decried alleged preferential treatment of Muslim cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi for interfacing with bandits whom they described as criminals, submitting that there were no good and bad criminals and therefore wants the federal government to arrest him.
According to a statement from the Executive Director of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, they had resolved to send letters to international embassies in Nigeria to demand travel ban to be imposed on Bulkachuwa for issuing the hate message which may inevitably result to unleashing of hate crimes against Igbo speaking people all over the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We will be writing to the United States of America; United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany and all significant embassies in Nigeria to put them on notice that Senator Bulkachuwa is attempting to instigate war crime of genocide against the Igbo speaking Nationality of Nigeria.”
The group recalled that Bulkachuwa had declared that: “the Southeast had tried separating from the country before which resulted to a civil war, wondering if they (South East) want to take the same route again, warning that Nigerian government will have no choice. According to him, the government will fight them and give them what they want.”
HURIWA counseled that he ought to be preaching Peace, National reconciliation, Nation building and Unity instead of preaching war hatred and genocide at his very advanced age.
“Senator Bukachuwa did not speak like a distinguished parliamentarian but like a war monger and just like a little child. At his age can he still carry AK-47? Why are the old people who are privilege to have benefitted from Nigeria the persons at the forefronts of seeking to destroy Nigeria? What is his gain if war breaks out and his children will have to get involve in the war,” HURIWA asked.
On Gumi, the Kaduna based cleric, they decried that he had openly and on several occasions, “actively encouraged Islamic terrorists who are engaged in kidnapping students.
“Can we tell Sheikh Gumi that there is no good terrorist or kidnappers and so for him to Canvass the recruitment of terrorists to fight other terrorists is a direct support for terrorism which merits immediate arrest and prosecution under the anti- terrorism Act which is a law in Nigeria. It is unfortunate that we have a Federal government that see nothing wrong with someone holding meetings with and speaking for terrorists as if he is above the law.”