Use Your Security Votes To Procure Services Of Professional Investigators

• HURIWA Tasks
South East, South-South Governors

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has tasked governors of the South East and South-South states to deploy their security votes to procure services of professional forensic private investigators to untangle the identities of the unknown gunmen bombarding facilities of National Security Institutions in their states.

In a statement signed by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko said this is because, the group believes that President Muhammadu Buhari is incapable and unwilling to stop the cocktails of attacks given that for six years, terrorist and violent crimes including kidnappings, and invasions of communities by armed Fulani militia have increased in leaps and bounds all across the country even as the President has manifested his absolute lack of capacity or will power to check the widening spectres of violence and killings.

HURIWA also believes that only political, religious community and civil society leaders of South East and South-South extractions can resolve the attacks if they try because the President that does not trust South East Military officers to head any commanding role of significance under his administration for over 6 years since coming to the office won’t be in a hurry to solve the emerging security nightmares in the South East and South-South.

“HURIWA wants governors of the South Eastern States and their South-South counterparts to spend parts of their security votes to engage the services of private forensic investigators to uncover the identities of the attackers of national security institutions and assets in their regions.

“Wikipedia had in a report described security votes as a huge amount of money allocated to the 36 states in Nigeria for the sole purpose of security services. Based on Wikipedia figures on Niger Delta states, Delta State governor receives the highest of N2bn monthly followed by Akwa Ibom State with N1.8bn and Rivers State with N1.5bn. Imo governor receives the lowest with N333.3 million monthly while his counterparts in Abia get N700m; Edo, N900m; Cross River, N500m and Ondo, N600m. The monthly figure for Bayelsa State Governor was reportedly shrouded in secrecy, though unconfirmed sources put it at over N1bn. It was gathered that the governors are expected to use the “outrageous” amount of money estimated at over N108bn yearly to tackle security threats such as kidnapping, pipeline vandalism, among others in their domain. Shockingly, there has been rising insecurity in the region with the governors most times absolving themselves and blaming security challenges in their states on the Federal Government.”

The Rights group said investigations by a particular media have revealed a huge amount of money provided monthly to the Nigerian president and state governors, ostensibly for security purposes, that is unappropriated, unaudited, and unaccounted for. Although at present the amount of security money voted monthly for the Nigerian president is undisclosed, a reliable source in Edo state Government House confided to the said media that the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, the then governor smiled to the bank every month with at least N500 million allegedly as his security vote. The source’s disclosure of the security ‘pocket money of the former labour leader also tallies with an on-the-record admission by a former lawmaker based in Osogbo, the state capital, concerning the governor of Osun state. The former deputy speaker of the Osun House of Assembly, who is also a former attorney general of the state, Honourable Niyi Owolade, told Legit. ng that the first monthly money Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state traditionally demands and gets as soon as funds arrive from the federal government is N500 million, which he said is the governor’s share of the controversial security vote.”

In the light of the availability of these resources as security votes available to governors, the Rights group is asking them to liaise with other civic and religious leaders in the South East and South-South to hire private investigators to get to the roots of the spiraling attacks on security formations.”

“This is because only a coalition for civilization can counter the violent extremism of the forces against a civilization that is waging a war against civilization in the South East of Nigeria and South-South by destroying security assets built with the sweat and resources of the people of those regions.”

“The people and all positive forces in the South-South and South East of Nigeria need to reject these systematic degenerations of civilization and advancement by condemning these attacks and joining forces in a coalition for civilization to counter these attempts at returning the South East and South-South to the State of nature whereby life is brutish, short, uninteresting and anti-development”.

HURIWA which reiterated her accusations that the attacks in those regions are waged by members of the deep state based in Abuja stated that it is unlikely that a self-proclaimed platform for liberation through constructive means such as IPOB and MASSOB will be the same agents of darkness seeking and working towards destroying the milestones of advancement already made in the South East of Nigeria and South-South which is what these senseless and misguided attacks stand for.

“Governors should deploy the huge security votes they corner monthly to engage professional private security and mercenaries to catch the unknown gunmen and end the cocktails of attacks. waiting for Buhari to solve the situation may lead to a lifetime waiting because Buhari has manifested unassailable evidence as a failure and a laggard”.

“A President battling to resolve the non-complex case of a house break-in and burglary that occurred in the usually heavily fortified villa can’t be the best person to resolve more complex security nightmares like the activities of the unknown gunmen.”