The Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER) on Tuesday said it condemned in totality the gun attack on Prof. Ben Angwe, the Immediate Past Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Mr Frank Tietie, the Executive Director of CASER, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), make the condemnation in a statement he signed and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
NAN also recalls that Angwe was reported on March 17 to have been attacked by unknown gun men and shot in Gboko Local Government area of Benue State.
According to Tietie, Angwe’s contribution to human rights promotion and development in Nigeria has earned the country’s NHRC an enviable international distinction and applause.
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“He created a synergistic atmosphere in the Nigerian Human rights community which led to the growth, development and recognition for Nigerian human rights organisations’’
Such organisations include CASER which the Federal Government appointed into the inter-ministerial committee on the Universal periodic review of the human rights situation in Nigeria which has just concluded the assignment at Geneva.
Prof. Angwe epitomises his personal philosophy of freedom and respect for everyone by his humble and kind disposition to others’’
‘’This makes him to usually walk the stress freely, all by himself without escorts, believing he does not have enemies since he has devoted much of his life to serving Nigerians by ensuring their rights are respected and protected.
This attack is therefore most unfortunate and highly condemnable,” Tietie stressed.
Tietie called for an urgent attention to the professor’s treatment.
He also called for the review of security apparatus for some persons who are former or present public servants that have held such important position as that of the Executive Secretary of NHRC.
Tietie said that the entire management and membership of CASER were indeed thankful to God that the fatal gunshot attack did not claim the life of the erudite human rights academician and activist.
According to Tietie, “we at CASER are very worried about the general state of insecurity in Nigeria.”
‘’We hereby call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately summon an emergency National Security Summit of all stakeholders in the security sector to urgently agree on proactive measures to tackle the spate of violence across Nigeria.” (NAN)
