The re-introduction of stop and search by the Inspector General of Police Mr. Solomon Arase, has been rejected by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA).
According to HURIWA, the move is an indirect way of re-introducing avenues for police harassment and extortion of innocent Nigerians through the back door.
This is contained in a statement yesterday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, who said the decision is hasty, emotive and error prone and should be overturned.
Besides, the Rights group demanded the return of counter terrorism military checkpoints across the country to be manned by well trained, well-motivated and well-equipped soldiers, who should be deployed with state of the art technology and security infrastructures to track down armed elements of the Boko Haram insurgents and other criminality.
“The recent directive from the Presidency asking for dismantling of military check points and their replacement by the ill-tempered and poorly trained and equipped operatives of the Nigeria Police has created national atmosphere of hysteria, collective panic and indeed is the motivation that has created the enabling environment for the renewed attacks by the armed insurgents targeted bombing campaigns across North East and North West of Nigeria”, it said.
