.As Senate mourns soldiers killed in fresh attack in Borno
.HURIWA issues Tinubu 7 days ultimatum to arrest terrorists whose identities Gumi alleged are known
.Says there’s no reason for continued bloodletting in Nigeria
.Threatens to drag FG before US Congress, ICC
The Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, says Nigeria’s military still maintains control over insecurity in spite of renewed terrorist and bandit attacks in the North East.
Musa gave the assurance on Wednesday in Abuja after a strategic meeting with Service Chiefs and senior military officers to review operational strategies across various theatres of operation nationwide.
He said the meeting was convened to assess the current security situation and strengthen ongoing efforts to defeat terrorists and other criminal elements threatening national security.
“We had a quick meeting with members of the services to review our strategy in all our theatres within the country.
“We are aware of the issues on ground, but I want to assure Nigerians that members of the Armed Forces are working tirelessly to ensure that Nigeria is safe and secure,” he said.
The minister acknowledged that the military had recorded some casualties in the course of operations, but stressed that terrorists and bandits were suffering heavier losses.
“We know we have suffered some casualties, but I can tell you the terrorists and bandits are taking more.
“We are taking out more of their commanders and destroying their assets, and we will continue to do that,” he added.
Musa urged Nigerians to continue supporting the Armed Forces and other security agencies, noting that tackling insecurity required a whole-of-government and society approach.
He warned against the spread of false information on social media, stressing that misinformation could undermine security efforts and affect troop morale.
According to him, citizens should always verify security-related information with the Armed Forces rather than rely on unverified online reports.
The minister also appealed to media organisations to exercise professionalism and avoid amplifying terrorist propaganda through the circulation of videos and materials produced by criminal groups.
“When you use their videos and pictures, you give them the opportunity to shine and use it as propaganda to demoralise our troops,” he said.
Musa further urged Nigerians to promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies and warned that individuals providing information or logistics support to terrorists would be treated as accomplices.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for his continued support to the Armed Forces and other security agencies, while also congratulating the new Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu.
He assured the new IGP of strong collaboration in addressing security challenges.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting comes at a time when there is a resurgence of terrorists and bandits attack in the North Eastern part of the country
The military has in the last one week, lost a number of personnel while holding grounds against the insurgents.
In the same vein, scores of terrorists and their commanders have been eliminated in recent operations across the theatre.
However, The Senate on Wednesday mourned the fallen soldiers in the Kukawa attack in Borno, expressing grave concern over the deadly assault on a Nigerian Army formation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the senate observed a minute silence for the soldiers, following a motion moved by Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno North) during plenary in Abuja.
Moving the motion, Monguno said that the suspected insurgents launched the coordinated attack in the early hours of March 9, targetting troops stationed in Kukawa Local Government Area.
He said that the attackers advanced from several directions, engaging soldiers in a prolonged battle that lasted nearly 24 hours but the troops resisted bravely.
The senator particularly lamented the death of Lt.-Col. Umar Farouq, describing him as a key figure in the restoration of stability in Kukawa after insurgents once ransacked the town.
“Lt.-Col. Farouk played a pivotal role in facilitating the return of displaced residents,” he recalled.
The lawmaker also disclosed that several military vehicles were destroyed and weapons looted during the assault, describing the attack as part of renewed insurgent offensives.
He said that the attack came despite the ongoing counter-insurgency operations under Operation Hadin Kai aimed at dismantling extremist networks in the North-East.
Monguno further stated that another community, Doro in Kukawa Local Government Area, was attacked by insurgents on Wednesday morning, resulting in the death of one soldier.
“Even this morning, as I came to present this motion, I received reports of another attack,” he said.
The lawmaker, however, commended the courage and sacrifice of the officers and soldiers defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity and protecting communities from insurgent violence.
“We salute their bravery, determination and zeal. Their efforts have helped reclaim territories once firmly controlled by Boko Haram insurgents,” Monguno said.
Seconding the motion, Sen Shehu Lawal (APC Borno Central) said that the renewed resurgence of insurgency in Borno had reached an alarming rate, adding that something needed to be done urgently.
“I also want to commend the military for not abdicating their responsibility. They stood firm to fight this insurgency with a view to allowing our people to sleep with their two eyes closed,” he said.
The senate, thereafter, observed a minute of silence in honour of the soldiers who, it said, paid the supreme sacrifice while defending the country from insurgent attacks.
The senate also commended the troops of Operation Hadin Kai for their resilience and commitment to safeguarding communities across Nigeria’s troubled North-East zone.
The lawmakers also urged the Nigerian Armed Forces to intensify intelligence gathering, surveillance operations and logistics support to strengthen the ongoing efforts aimed at ending insurgency.
Concluding the deliberations, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, commended Monguno for his support to the Nigerian army in the North-East zone.
Akpabio said that President Bola Tinubu was doing his best to deal with insecurity in the country.
However, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has issued a seven-working-days ultimatum to the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately arrest and prosecute terrorists allegedly known to authorities.
This followed explosive claims by Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi that the government possesses the names and locations of every terrorist operating in the country.
The civil rights group warned that failure by the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to act decisively within the stipulated time would compel it to escalate the matter internationally, including filing formal petitions to Donald Trump, the United States Congress, and the International Criminal Court, seeking an investigation into what it described as the Nigerian government’s “apparent tolerance or protection of terrorists responsible for mass killings across the country.”
In a strongly worded statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, HURIWA said Gumi’s recent televised remarks had raised grave national security and legal questions that the federal authorities must urgently address.
The group recalled that during an interview on DRTV, the Kaduna-based cleric publicly declared that the Nigerian government knows the identity and exact location of every terrorist operating within the country.
Gumi also insisted that his controversial visits to bandit camps were not done secretly but with the knowledge and presence of security agencies.
According to Gumi, “the government knows every terrorist by name and location,” adding that when he engages with armed groups, he does not go alone but in the company of the police, military, and other security agencies.
Reacting to the development, HURIWA said the claim, if true, would amount to one of the most shocking admissions of state failure in Nigeria’s ongoing war against terrorism.
“HURIWA finds the statement credited to Sheikh Ahmad Gumi extremely disturbing.
If indeed the Federal Government knows every terrorist by name and location as claimed, then Nigerians deserve to know why these criminals continue to roam freely, kidnapping schoolchildren, murdering farmers, attacking communities and destabilising the nation,” the group said.
The organisation insisted that if the government already possesses actionable intelligence identifying terrorists and their hideouts, there can be no justification for the continued bloodshed across several states.
“We are therefore giving the Federal Government of Nigeria seven working days to arrest the terrorists whose identities and locations are allegedly known to the authorities and to immediately commence their prosecution in accordance with Nigerian law,” the statement added.
HURIWA further argued that the continued freedom of the cleric himself, despite his admitted interactions with terrorist groups, raises troubling questions about the seriousness of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism policy.
“If Sheikh Gumi truly has extensive knowledge of the identities and locations of terrorists, why have security agencies not invited him for comprehensive questioning or investigation?
His freedom without scrutiny lends credibility to his assertion that the government is already aware of these terrorists and yet has failed to act,” the group said.
The rights organisation warned that if no concrete action is taken within seven working days, it will initiate international legal advocacy to hold Nigeria’s leadership accountable for what it described as crimes against humanity arising from persistent terrorist attacks.
“HURIWA will formally petition the United States Congress, the administration of President Donald Trump, and the International Criminal Court to demand a global inquiry into the Nigerian government’s handling of terrorism, including the possibility that state negligence or complicity is enabling these atrocities,” it stated.
The group argued that persistent massacres, kidnappings, and attacks on civilians in Nigeria meet the threshold of crimes against humanity under international law if authorities knowingly fail to prevent them.
HURIWA also cited several legal authorities establishing that individuals who possess knowledge of serious crimes and fail to report or act upon such knowledge may themselves face criminal liability.
The organisation referenced Section 10 of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, which criminalises knowingly assisting, facilitating, or failing to disclose information relating to terrorist activities.
The group also pointed to provisions of the Criminal Code Act, which recognise the offence of being an accessory after the fact where a person knowingly aids offenders to evade justice.
HURIWA further cited the landmark case of R v. Sykes, which established that a person who knowingly assists offenders or shields them from prosecution becomes criminally liable.
Another relevant authority, the Nigerian Supreme Court decision in FRN v. Osahon, reaffirmed the duty of citizens and law enforcement institutions to cooperate in bringing offenders to justice and preventing impunity.
According to the rights group, these legal precedents reinforce the principle that possessing credible knowledge of criminal activities without taking steps to report or stop them may amount to complicity.
“The law is clear that silence or inaction in the face of known criminal activity can amount to aiding and abetting crime. This is why the Federal Government must urgently clarify whether Sheikh Gumi’s claims are accurate and, if they are, immediately move to neutralise these terrorists,” HURIWA said.
The organisation stressed that the ultimatum is intended to compel transparency and decisive action at a time when millions of Nigerians are living under constant threat of terrorist attacks.
“HURIWA will not stand idly by while Nigerians are slaughtered daily. If the government knows these terrorists and their locations, then the time for excuses has expired.
The time for arrests and prosecution is now,” the group declared.
