The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Federal Government to shift from what it described as routine condemnations of violent attacks to sustained security operations aimed at dismantling armed groups responsible for recurring killings in Benue and Plateau states.
The rights group made the call on Monday following the latest attack on Otukpo-Nobi and Akpachi communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, where at least 16 people, including women and children, were reportedly killed in coordinated pre-dawn assaults.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said the latest tragedy underscored what it described as persistent failures in Nigeria’s security architecture, arguing that authorities had continued to react after attacks instead of preventing them.
The organisation expressed condolences to the bereaved families and affected communities, insisting that the repeated killings could no longer be dismissed as isolated incidents but reflected deep deficiencies in governance and public safety.
It called on security agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute not only the perpetrators but also those financing, harbouring and providing logistical support to the attackers.
HURIWA also faulted the governors of Benue and Plateau states, Hyacinth Alia and Caleb Mutfwang, saying they must play a more proactive role in safeguarding their states despite policing being under the constitutional control of the Federal Government.
According to the group, governors, as chief security officers of their states, should strengthen intelligence gathering, support lawful community-based security initiatives and improve coordination with security agencies to prevent attacks before they occur.
It argued that the recurring violence exposed serious gaps in intelligence, surveillance and rapid response, allowing armed groups to strike vulnerable communities with little resistance.
The rights organisation further urged President Bola Tinubu to treat the worsening insecurity in Benue and Plateau as a national security emergency by sustaining military and intelligence operations until the armed groups responsible are dismantled.
It also demanded an independent investigation into the repeated attacks to uncover operational failures, expose those behind the violence and ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice.
HURIWA warned that continued mass killings without decisive action risk eroding public confidence in government and the country’s democratic institutions, insisting that Nigerians now expect concrete security outcomes rather than repeated expressions of sympathy after every tragedy.