HURIWA Praises NDLEA Cocaine Bust, Gives Tinubu Three Week Ultimatum on South East Rights Probe

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for intercepting 184.50 kilogrammes of cocaine estimated at N39 billion, while giving President Bola Tinubu three weeks to establish an independent judicial commission of inquiry into alleged human rights abuses in the South East.

In a statement signed by its Coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA described the drug seizure as a major law enforcement achievement capable of preventing young Nigerians from being exposed to addiction, crime and violence.

According to the Guardian, the group praised NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), and his officers for what it described as an intelligence driven operation targeting international drug trafficking networks.

HURIWA said the arrest of alleged cartel kingpin Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as KC Luxury, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos demonstrated the agency’s growing capacity to track drug shipments and uncover international trafficking networks.

The organisation urged the NDLEA to sustain its crackdown on drug cartels, clandestine laboratories and distribution networks, while strengthening cooperation with other security and financial intelligence agencies.

However, HURIWA expressed concern over alleged human rights violations linked to security operations in the South East. It called on President Tinubu to establish an independent judicial commission within three weeks to investigate allegations including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests and extortion.

The group said it would consult Amnesty International and other rights organisations over possible international action, including a petition to the International Criminal Court, if the Federal Government failed to initiate a credible investigation.

HURIWA cited allegations that at least 1,844 people were killed in the South East between 2021 and mid 2023, while stressing that such allegations must be independently investigated and should not be treated as established facts.

The organisation also called on the National Assembly, National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Bar Association and civil society groups to support its demand for an independent inquiry.