A Pro-democracy and non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has blamed the numerous criminal attacks on family members or property of the immediate past president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, on the alleged co-ordinated hate-speeches spewed out by government officials, The Guardian reports.
In a statement issued by its National Co-ordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group said it was illegal for persons holding strategic offices in the current administration to have allegedly deployed public resources at their disposal to wage consistent propaganda war aimed at graphically painting the family members of the immediate past president as corrupt when there is no court judgment to that effect.
“When a government at the highest level spends humongous amount of public fund to spread false accusations and soft tissues of half-baked propaganda to castigate family members of the man who peacefully handed over power to them, then their fanatical supporters and other free radicals will cease upon these agenda of demonisation and criminalisation of this family to legitimise any attack or even crime targeting the family members of the erstwhile President.
“The Presidency and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are responsible for these rash of attacks on the former President. This trend must stop to avoid the consequences of what may follow any direct attack (God forbids) on the person of the former President by hoodlums,” the statement said.
The rights group, which condemned the recent burglary of the former president’s house, urged the security forces to be much more professional and avoid recruiting people who would tarnish the institutional image of the Nigeria police and bring international opprobrium to the country. It also called for the ethical overhaul of the Police Force to weed out the many bad eggs damaging the corporate image of the institution.
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