Northern elders berate Afenifere over call for sack of service chiefs

Insist war against Boko Haram is yielding positive results
The leadership and members of the Northern Elders, Professionals and Stakeholders’ Forum (NEPSF) have faulted the recent call for the sack of service chiefs by the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere.

National President of the group, Chief Simon Shango, in a communique after a stakeholders’ meeting yesterday in Abuja, mourned with the President over the recent killing of some soldiers in Metele, Borno State.

The communique read: “It is completely unnecessary to repeat what is already known to you and millions of Nigerians. But for the sake of emphasis, let us remind you about some of the issues which have already come to your attention.

“It belittles reasoning and sense of patriotism that ethnic bigots, enemies of Nigeria, political charlatans, particularly the opposition elements in Nigeria, to so bizarrely seek to use the deaths of our soldiers in the hands of our mortal enemies as campaign weapon to fester their political nests. It is against the precepts of morality and spirit of fraternity or commiseration for families of the slain soldiers.

“We perused some of the recent outbursts, the latest emanating from Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group. We disappointedly discovered to our dismay that these anti-Nigerian forces may have infiltrated their ranks.

“So, the agenda to lend supportive pillars to the atrocities of Boko Haram terrorists through media propaganda is only deemed complete when their internal allies intentionally disparage your laudable efforts to contain these religious extremists bent on violent occupation of Nigeria.

“The pro-Boko Haram disposition of these tribal associations manifested more glaringly in the communiqué issued by Afenifere at the house of its leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

“To say, we were shocked that the Afenifere enlivened the campaign for the sack of the incumbent service chiefs is to put it politely. But the infusion of a political tone into an otherwise mournful comments by praying God to “…give us a leadership that is more than equal to the challenges we face,” grassed the partisanship of the group on the matter.

“And smarting from this mindset, Afenifere besmirched every effort made by your administration in the past three years.”