Human Rights Group Demands Arrests After Cleric Claims Government Knows Terrorists
Chukwu Obinna 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) issues a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to arrest and prosecute terrorists allegedly known to security authorities, escalating pressure after controversial claims by Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi.
In a statement released Wednesday in Abuja, the civil rights group warns that failure to act within the deadline will push it to petition international institutions, including the United States Congress and the International Criminal Court, seeking a probe into Nigeria’s handling of terrorism.
The demand follows Gumi’s televised interview in which he reportedly claimed the government knows “every terrorist by name and location.”
Reacting to the remark, HURIWA describes the allegation as a potential “shocking admission of state failure” in Nigeria’s long-running battle against insurgency and banditry.
“HURIWA finds the statement credited to Sheikh Ahmad Gumi extremely disturbing,” the group says. “If the Federal Government truly knows these terrorists and their locations, Nigerians deserve to know why they continue to roam freely, killing farmers, kidnapping schoolchildren and attacking communities.”
The organisation insists that any intelligence identifying terrorist leaders and their hideouts should translate immediately into arrests and prosecution.
“We are giving the Federal Government seven working days to apprehend those terrorists whose identities are allegedly known and begin prosecution under Nigerian law,” the statement adds.
HURIWA also questions why Gumi has not been formally invited for questioning by security agencies despite admitting to multiple visits to bandit camps.
“If Sheikh Gumi possesses detailed knowledge about terrorists and their locations, security agencies should invite him for investigation,” the group says.
“HURIWA will petition international authorities if the government fails to act,” the group states. “The time for excuses has expired. Nigerians demand arrests and justice.”
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Hussaini Ibrahim