HURIWA Demands Rescue Of Kidnapped Kaduna Couple, 3-Month-Old Baby

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), to mobilise security agencies to rescue Mr Ahmed Zakka, his wife and their three-month-old baby, who were abducted by terrorists in Kaduna State.

The group also urged the military service chiefs, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Inspector-General of Police and the National Security Adviser to coordinate joint security operations to rescue more than 2,000 Nigerians allegedly held captive by terrorists.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA called for the arrest, prosecution and severe punishment of those responsible for the kidnappings.

The rights group also urged Tinubu to immediately relieve Musa and the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, of their political campaign responsibilities in the Presidential Campaign Council for the president’s re-election bid.

HURIWA argued that assigning the two ministers additional partisan duties at a time when Nigeria was confronting widespread insecurity could distract them from their primary responsibilities in the defence sector.

It described the situation as a disservice to Nigerians, insisting that the security and welfare of citizens should take precedence over political considerations.

The group also drew the attention of Tinubu and the defence minister to a video allegedly released by the terrorists from a jungle in Kaduna State, showing Zakka carrying his infant child while he and his wife appealed for help to secure their release.

According to HURIWA, the footage showed the distressed family pleading with the government and Nigerians to intervene and secure their freedom.

The group said the video should prompt political officeholders to prioritise the security and well-being of citizens above partisan interests.

“How does the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, feel to attend the inauguration of the expanded and revised Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress on Wednesday when terrorists have continuously kidnapped citizens from his state/homestead and several other flashpoints across the length and breadth of Nigeria?” the group asked.

HURIWA said its appeal was not intended to publicly embarrass the defence minister or his counterpart but to urge them and the president to activate measures for the immediate rescue of the family.

“We are not doing this clarion call for the rescue of this baby and the parents to publicly call out the Minister of Defence or his counterpart, but this is a compassionate appeal to them and the president to immediately activate mechanisms to rescue this innocent baby and his parents, Mr and Mrs Ahmed Zakka, who were abducted by fully armed terrorists from their Millennium City house located in Kaduna metropolitan area,” the statement said.

The group maintained that the president had a constitutional obligation to protect lives and property, while the defence minister and the minister of state for defence were responsible for supervising the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

It questioned the decision to assign the ministers political campaign duties amid continuing kidnappings and other security threats across the country, arguing that the government should focus on addressing the security crisis.

According to HURIWA, the alleged captivity of more than 2,000 citizens represented a serious failure of the administration’s security efforts.

The group further argued that the reported abduction of the three-month-old baby and the child’s parents raised concerns about the government’s commitment to fulfilling its responsibility to protect Nigerians and safeguard their welfare.