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Northern elders want government to end insurgency, carnage

By Saxone Akhaine, Kaduna
09 May 2018   |   4:21 am
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has challenged the Federal Government to end forthwith the Boko Haram insurgency and killings in the country, saying that the primary purpose of electing President Muhammadu Buhari...

Prof. Ango Abdullahi

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has challenged the Federal Government to end forthwith the Boko Haram insurgency and killings in the country, saying that the primary purpose of electing President Muhammadu Buhari and other political leaders at the 2015 polls was for the adequate security and welfare of all Nigerians.

The forum decried the increase wave of killings in parts of the federation, urging the government to live up to its responsibilities by immediately putting the menace under control.

Besides, the Professor Ango Abdullahi-led NEF said it had set up a high-powered committee to ensure peaceful coexistence in Benue, Kogi, Zamfara, Taraba, Plateau and Kaduna states.

The position of the body was contained in a statement issued and signed yesterday in Kaduna by Abdullahi.

The former vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) pointed out that the forum, which met in Arewa House, Kaduna, reviewed the state of the economy, security in northern communities as well as events relating to the 2019 elections, urging the Federal Government to ensure that peace and security prevail in order to guarantee the socio-economic growth and development of the nation.

According to him, “the meeting took stock of the killings in many parts of the North and efforts of political leaders, security agents and the federal administration to stop the alarming levels of mayhem in the North East, Zamfara, Benue, Kaduna, Plateau and many other parts of the region.”

The elders demanded a decisive decision on the carnage with a view to ending the menace once and for all.

They drew the attention to the fact that the security of citizens and promotion of their welfare was the only purpose of government, noting: “Citizens’ faith in the nation and its leadership is directly related to a demonstration of its willingness and success in protecting their lives and creating a conducive
environment for the pursuit of their welfare.”

NEF noted that the rising tension prior to the 2019 general elections was an additional threat to national security and peaceful conduct of the polls.

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