Gen.ChristopherMusa
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has sharply criticised the Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa, over his claim that Nigeria’s security performance under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stands between 65 and 70 per cent, describing it as misleading, insensitive, and disconnected from the daily realities of Nigerians.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the group said the rating was an insult to victims of terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping who continue to endure killings, abductions, and displacement across the country.
HURIWA argued that the distinction being drawn between terrorism and kidnapping in official narratives is artificial, insisting that both operate through the same methods of violence, fear, and ransom-taking, and should be treated as a unified security threat rather than separate categories.
The group further faulted ongoing government rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes for former terrorists, warning that such initiatives risk weakening justice and undermining deterrence if not matched with full prosecution under Nigeria’s counterterrorism laws.
It insisted that the priority should remain the strict enforcement of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, alongside decisive action against criminal networks and their sponsors.
HURIWA also cited recent abductions and repeated attacks in several parts of the country as evidence that insecurity remains widespread and unresolved, stressing that Nigerians continue to live in fear despite official claims of progress.
The organisation called for urgent, results-driven reforms in intelligence gathering, border security, and inter-agency coordination, saying Nigeria needs measurable safety outcomes rather than statistical optimism.
It concluded that history will judge the government not by security scorecards but by whether citizens can live without fear.