Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has described as disconcerting and unfortunate, the information that terrorists have taken over and are occupying a military training camp in Niger State as disclosed by the state House of Assembly.
DAILY POST reported on Tuesday that some terrorists have taken over the biggest military training camps in Nigeria located at the Nagwamase Military Cantonment in Kontagora, Kontagora local government area of Niger State.
The report came from a member of the Niger State House of Assembly, representing Kontagora II State Constituency, Abdullahi Isah, who raised the alarm during a plenary on Tuesday.
He said the daredevil criminals also chased away about 23 farming communities within the area.
HURIWA has therefore urged the President to direct the military to decisively expel the terrorists occupying the military training facility.
“This piece of bad news should seriously be seen as a major national security threat especially because it takes just five hours to drive from Kontagora to the Federal Capital Territory. The earlier these terrorists are degraded, decapitated and expelled from the military facility, the better for the security interest of Nigeria.”
The Rights group, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said “it is a big shame that the military allowed this to happen in the first place.”
HURIWA called for a broad action by the military “to ensure that this sort of spectacular disgrace is not repeated in any of its facilities in the country as this calls to question the capacity of the armed forces to implement their mandate as constitutionally guaranteed.
“Defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria is the most fundamental duty of the military. It is therefore absolutely unacceptable that terrorists would be allowed to occupy military camp for this period of time to an extent that the Niger state house of Assembly was compelled to intervene.”
HURIWA said it wonders “why the National Assembly hasn’t taken steps to compel the military to bring to an end this show of shame in Niger State.”
Also, HURIWA said it was disappointing “that no proactive steps were taken to stop the vandalism at the power facilities in Niger State that has left the Northern states without electricity power for over a week even when locals told the media that the lines extend from Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Dam, through Chiri axis, one of the communities which have suffered many attacks in Munya LGA, and extends towards Sakin-Pawa to Kafin-Koro in Paikoro LGA.”