TheCable

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC), a human rights group, has accused the federal government of handling extremism with “undeserved kid gloves.”

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Moses Odoma, the group’s executive director, appealed to the national assembly to pass stronger legislation capable of checkmating extremist organisations.

Odoma said the federal government, through the military and the security agencies, had been treating the issues of extremism, separatism and militancy “with undeserved kid gloves which would in turn encourage armed struggle by any part of population that feels it is aggrieved”.

“The sad reality is that the federal government has until now refused to prosecute those who have been found wanting in this regards. This has to stop,” Odoma said.

“The government must show the needed will by taking decisive actions against those that have engaged in acts of terror.

“We are warning that all these are the elementary stages of terrorism that must be addressed by the various stakeholders in the country before they have the chance to lead to serious human rights and humanitarian crisis in the respective regions.

“We urge the military and the police to do everything within their powers to ensure that based on the existing rules of engagement no individual or group of persons are allowed to throw the nation into mourning. The federal government must on its part tackle the numerous challenges confronting the citizenry.”

Odoma said under current trend, perpetrators of evil acts against Nigeria are able to evade existing anti-terror legislation once they invoke their foreign affiliation or claim international status.

He said though, Nigeria currently has the terrorism prevention act, its implementation has exposed areas of shortcomings for which additional legislations are needed.