HURIWA calls for urgent action against Police bias

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the Inspector General of Police to address what it termed the force’s growing partisanship, warning that such conduct could have dire consequences for Nigeria’s democracy.

It also decried what it describes as blatant double standards by the Nigeria Police Force in handling leadership crises within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at both national and state levels.

The group accused the police of partisanship, alleging they are being used to undermine court rulings and destabilize the opposition.

National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement on Friday, highlighted two incidents that it says underscore the erosion of professionalism within the force.

The first involves the continued occupation of the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja by Samuel Anyanwu, the party’s former National Secretary, despite a Court of Appeal ruling removing him from the position.

The group accused the police of failing to enforce the judgment, allowing Anyanwu to remain in office in defiance of the law.

The second incident occurred in Rivers State, where police allegedly barricaded the PDP state secretariat following a High Court ruling that dissolved a faction of the party led by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

This, according to HURIWA, has prevented Governor Siminalayi Fubara from reorganizing the party’s leadership to avoid a vacuum.

“The police have demonstrated blatant double standards by failing to uphold the law uniformly,” HURIWA said.

“On one hand, they turn a blind eye to Anyanwu’s illegal occupation of the PDP National Secretariat. On the other, they actively obstruct Governor Fubara from implementing a court ruling in Rivers State.”

HURIWA argued that Anyanwu’s actions, backed by police inaction, amount to a brazen affront to the rule of law.

The Court of Appeal had removed him from office after his resignation to contest the Imo State governorship election, a decision supported by the PDP constitution.

The association also accused the police of enabling illegality in Rivers State by preventing Governor Fubara from enforcing a High Court judgment that nullified congresses conducted by Wike’s faction.

“The police must act as impartial enforcers of the law, not as tools for political manipulation,” the group said, adding that impunity erodes public trust in law enforcement.

The association urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the police adhere to constitutional principles and resist being used for political oppression.

It also called on the judiciary to assert its authority by holding individuals and institutions accountable for disregarding court orders.