Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, urged the National Assembly to introduce a legislation that will criminalise Gestapo invasion of homes by armed security agents, resulting in open robbery and make such raids punishable by death.
The group also wants theft of public funds appropriated and released for procurement of weapons to defend the nation to become a capital offence punishable by death by firing squad.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, said the invasion of homes of innocent Nigerians have reached a disturbing rate and such unbecoming action should not be allowed to continue in a sane society because they are tantamount to armed robbery.
The call followed last Friday’s report that men of Force Intelligence Bureau Special Tactical Squad, Abuja, broke into the Agege home of a Lagos-based businessman, Fatai Sowunmi, beat up the occupant, ransacked the apartment and allegedly stole $5,000 from him and withdrew N1.3m from his brother’s bank account.
Beyond the Lagos Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, saying the matter was under investigation, HURIWA wants the said officers arrested, subjected to orderly room trial, summarily dismissed and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to power drunk gun-wielding police officers harassing innocent citizens all over the country.
Onwubiko said: “Recall that police rascality and extrajudicial killings culminated into the EndSARS protests in October 2020, but it is worrisome that the police haven’t learnt its lessons about two years after as officers are still terrorising innocent citizens.
“Even if a citizen is suspected to have been involved in a crime, the right approach is to go to such residence with a search warrant and not resort to the maximum force, corruption, exploitation, intimidation and general coercion. This is unacceptable and the actions of such officers must not go unpunished as crimes fester when culprits are shielded and not brought to book.”
