Kaiama Killings: CDHR Expresses Deep Sadness, Says “Security Is A Right And Not A Privilege”

<h4>Kaiama Killings<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<h4><&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights &lpar;CDHR&rpar; expresses its profound outrage and unreserved condemnation of the barbaric and gruesome massacre of over 160 innocent Nigerians in the Woro and Nuku communities of Kaiama Local Government Area&comma; Kwara State&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The condemnation is contained in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Debo Adeniran&comma;<br &sol;>&NewLine;National President and Comrade Deacon Jeremiah Onyibe&comma; National Publicity Secretary of CDHR respectively&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In the statement&comma; CDHR noted that this latest orgy of violence&comma; reportedly carried out by extremist elements&comma; is a reflection of the cheapness of human life in Nigeria today&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It noted further that the CDHR is deeply saddened by reports that these defenseless citizens were rounded up&comma; bound&comma; and executed for simply refusing to succumb to the extremist ideologies of their attackers&period; We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the entire people of Kwara State who are currently reeling from this unprecedented tragedy&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Security is a Right&comma; Not a Privilege<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Section 14&lpar;2&rpar;&lpar;b&rpar; of the 1999 Constitution of the<strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;"> Federal Republic of Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> &lpar;as amended&rpar; explicitly states that &&num;8220&semi;the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government&period;&&num;8221&semi; It is not a suggestion&semi; it is a constitutional mandate&period; Every Nigerian citizen is entitled to the right to life and the right to personal security&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When over 160 citizens can be systematically slaughtered in a single night&comma; despite reported warning signs and previous incursions&comma; it is no longer just a &&num;8220&semi;security breach&period;&&num;8221&semi; It is a catastrophic failure of the state&period; The <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;"><strong>CDHR<&sol;strong><&sol;a> asserts that the continued inability of the government to forestall these attacks means that the current administration has failed in its most basic promise&colon; to protect the lives of those it governs&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The government’s primary reason for existence is the protection of its people&comma;&&num;8221&semi; said the CDHR leadership&period; <em><strong>&&num;8220&semi;Any government that cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens in their own homes and farms has lost the moral and legal authority to demand their loyalty&period; The blood of the innocents in Woro and Nuku cries out for justice&comma; but more importantly&comma; it cries out against a system that has left them as sitting ducks for terrorists&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>While we acknowledge the recent deployment of an army battalion to the region&comma; we view this as a reactive and &&num;8220&semi;after-the-fact&&num;8221&semi; measure&period; For months&comma; rural communities in Kwara and neighboring Niger State have signaled the growing presence of these <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;vanguardngr&period;com&sol;">insurgent cells<&sol;a>&period; To wait until a massacre of this magnitude occurs before taking &&num;8220&semi;decisive action&&num;8221&semi; is an indictment of our intelligence and security architecture&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>The CDHR  Demands&colon;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>Immediate Accountability&colon; An independent inquiry into why intelligence reports &lpar;if any&rpar; were not acted upon to prevent this massacre&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>Comprehensive Protection&colon; The government must go beyond temporary &&num;8220&semi;Operation Savannah Shield&&num;8221&semi; and establish permanent&comma; well-equipped security posts in known flashpoints&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>Justice for Victims&colon; The perpetrators must not only be &&num;8220&semi;pushed back&&num;8221&semi; but must be apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of the law&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>Support for Survivors&colon; Immediate humanitarian aid and psychological support for the survivors and displaced persons in Kaiama&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Nigerian government must wake up to the reality that it is presiding over a funeral parlor&period; We will no longer accept &&num;8220&semi;condolences&&num;8221&semi; and &&num;8220&semi;vows to bring perpetrators to book&&num;8221&semi; as a substitute for actual safety&period; Nigerians deserve to live&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;