Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria warns against branding actors, civilians as IPOB members.
Written by News Room on May 22, 2022
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), cautioned security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army and others to stop framing up Nollywood actors and innocent civilians as members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
The rights group also noted that the African Traditional Religion (ATR) was being criminalized and demonized by security forces in the South East, as these agencies regularly invade sacred shrines to desecrate them under the guise of pursuing suspected IPOB members.
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the trend of trying to score erroneous points, by detaining and branding innocent Igbo youths, and prominent sons and daughters, as criminals is disconcerting.
The group also bemoaned declining professional practices among members of the security forces and urged security agencies to release all Igbo youths falsely detained and languishing in cells and prisons all over the country.
HURIWA recalled that the Imo State Police Command arrested a Nollywood actor known as Hycent Azunna and branded him a member of IPOB’s Eastern Security Network (ESN), a claim that his friends nullified as untrue.
Anthony Samuel
