DHQ threatens legal action against HURIWA

Defence Headquarters said it would not hesitate to seek legal action against Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria if it continues to mislead Nigerians over the crisis in Plateau State.

It said as a responsible human right organization, instead of cultivating the habit of responsible use of the media to disseminate truth, HURIWA has continued to spread falsehoods in order to create tension in the country.

The military high command said this in a statement by the Director Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. TukurGusau, on Monday.

The statement came against the backdrop of HURIWA’s on Sunday where it faulted the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa’s approach to addressing the ongoing violence in Plateau State.

In the statement by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the organisation expressed deep concerns over the recent escalation of violence, particularly the Christmas Eve attacks on over 20 communities in the Barkin-Ladi, Mangu and Bokkos areas.

The rights group criticised the CDS’ response, especially the deployment of a Special Fact-Finding Team led by retired Major-General Augustine Agundu to investigate the root causes of the attacks. But reacting to the statement the Defence Headquarters said HURIWA was ill-informed and could not spend time researching on efforts the military had made to restore normalcy in troubled areas of the country.