The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State following the killing of at least 23 farmers in Sauna/Ruwan Gora community of Talata Mafara Local Government Area, arguing that the scale of violence now constitutes a constitutional emergency.
The rights group said the latest massacre underscored the collapse of security in the state, alleging that armed bandits now exercise near-total control over vast territories while residents remain exposed to killings, kidnappings and displacement.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA described Zamfara as “a vast killing field” and expressed solidarity with families of the victims.
According to the group, years of military operations and huge security spending have failed to halt the violence, which it said has evolved into one of Nigeria’s worst humanitarian crises.
Citing reports by Amnesty International, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), HURIWA said hundreds of people had been killed and abducted in recent years, with thousands displaced as armed groups tightened their grip on several communities.
The association maintained that the prevailing situation met the constitutional threshold for extraordinary federal intervention and urged President Tinubu to invoke relevant constitutional provisions to restore order.
It argued that if extraordinary constitutional measures could be adopted in Rivers State to address political instability, similar intervention should not be withheld in Zamfara where lives were being lost on a far greater scale due to sustained terrorist violence.
HURIWA said any emergency measures should be temporary, consistent with constitutional provisions, subject to legislative oversight and focused on restoring public safety, strengthening security operations and re-establishing lawful civil authority across affected communities.
The group also blamed previous peace negotiations with armed groups for enabling notorious bandit leaders, including Bello Turji, to consolidate their influence rather than abandon criminal activities.
It urged the Federal Government to intensify military operations, improve intelligence gathering, strengthen border surveillance, prosecute terror financiers, secure farming communities and provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons.
HURIWA further called for investigations into allegations of official collaboration with criminal networks, insisting that any public official found aiding terrorists should be prosecuted.
“The time for half measures has passed. Zamfara deserves peace. Nigerians deserve security. The Constitution demands no less,” the statement said.