…accuse security agencies of focusing on protecting politicians than citizens
Even as dare-devil gunmen launched a second deadly attack on the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivhianokpodi, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, killing a security officer and abducting three seminarians, the Police in Edo state and the entire security and intelligence architectures in Edo state have shown a disgraceful lack of capacity to protect lives and property of the citizens, says the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA).
HURIWA said it is disgraceful that the extensive focus of the security agents is on safeguarding politicians and those who can pay for their services than carrying out the statutory duty of protecting lives and property of the citizens as provided for by the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended.
In a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA carpeted the Edo State police command, the Department of State Services for failing to prevent this deadly attack especially since this isn’t the first of its kind just as HURIWA condemned the security agencies for failing to clinically sweep off the armed bandits suspected to be hibernating around the forests of Edo State. The forests must never be left to the armed bandits to do as they wish and to use those natural habitats of wildlife as training grounds and hideout of terrorists.
HURIWA expressed disappointment and shock that this kind of attack on the Seminary community in Edo state was permitted to reoccur even after the citizens of Edo State were given all the assurances by the government and the heads of the security institutions in the state never to allow the repetition of such dastardly attacks after the initial deadly attack that rocked the same Catholic seminary in Edo state.
HURIWA citing media reports stated that the attack occurred at about 9 p.m. on Thursday, 10 July, when heavily armed assailants stormed the seminary premises from three different directions. The victims were caught unprepared as seminarians and priests fled for safety. In the chaos, three seminarians were seized and taken away, while a security officer, identified as Mr Christopher Aweneghieme, was shot and killed.
The seminary, which falls under the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, was previously attacked in October 2024. In that incident, the Rector, Rev. Fr. Thomas Oyode, was kidnapped and later released traumatised.
A seminarian working in a nearby parish was also killed during the earlier attack.
Besides, the Director of Communications for the Diocese, Fr. Peter Egielewa, in a release, said: “This is the second time the seminary has been attacked in less than a year. This time, three seminarians were abducted and one civil defence officer was killed. It is a heartbreaking situation.”
Local vigilantes reportedly began a pursuit of the kidnappers before police reinforcements arrived. The Commissioner of Police has since visited the scene and promised swift action, including the deployment of officers to support rescue efforts.
The Bishop of Auchi Diocese, Most Rev. Dr Gabriel Dunia, has called for urgent government intervention and asked the public to pray for the safe return of the abducted seminarians and the peaceful repose of Mr Aweneghieme’s soul.
HURIWA which described the attack as one incident too many, charged the Edo State governor Mr. Monday Okpebholo to prioritise the security of lives and property of the citizens of the State over and above mundane politicking because it would seem that the security operatives focused so much on joining in the celebration of the Supreme Court’s victory of the Edo State governor on Thursday to the extent that the security of lives and property of the citizens became secondary. The focus must be on preventing deadly attacks on all citizens including even the political leadership.
“The security of the citizens is the primary constitutional duty of the politicians holding political offices. We hereby challenge the Edo State governor to implement foolproof proactive security measures including the deployment of crime prevention and crime fighting technologies to ensure that armed bandits masquerading as herders are effectively stopped from waging bloody wars against the people of Edo State and especially those citizens residing in farming communities”.
“We propose that the security should be beefed up around schools to protect citizens from these frequent blood sheds by these undesirable elements unleashing violence on the citizens. This attack and the killing of the security personnel from the Nigerian civil defence corps are acts of terrorism. We condemn the kidnapping of the three seminarians and we challenge the security forces in Edo state to rapidly free these hostages, arrest the perpetrators just as the Edo State ministry of Justice and the state judiciary must ensure that the prosecution and sentencing of these terrorists are efficiently enforced”.
