The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Monday condemned the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari over rising insecurity in the northern part of the country.
The ACF, in a statement titled, ‘ACF condemns endless killings in the North’ issued by its spokesman, Emmanuel Yawe, called on President Buhari to live up to his oath of office.
The group’s statement is in reaction to the invasion of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, during which a staff, his wife and daughter were abducted. The wife and daughter were later released by the gunmen after a gun duel with the police.
Nine students of the institution had earlier been abducted on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway while on their way to Lagos. They were released on Saturday night.
In its reaction, the ACF expressed anger over the spate of insecurity in the North, while directing its anger at the President over the sundry attacks by bandits.
The forum also knocked the Police Affairs Minister, Muhammad Dingyadi, for saying that the activities of bandits had been checked in the North.
The statement reads in part: “We feel there is no need to call on President Buhari to live up to his oath of office. He knows more than anybody else the implications of swearing on the Quran and refusing to honour your oath to the Almighty.
“We are only for the umpteenth time conveying the anger and frustrations of many northerners to him so that he will do the needful and speedily too. It is getting too late.
“In October 2020, the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, under the leadership of Chief Audu Ogbeh held its first National Working Committee and National Executive Committee meetings in two days in Kaduna.
“At both meetings, all states and local government representatives expressed concern over the levels of insecurity in the local areas they represent all over the North at the ACF.
“The Communique the forum issued at the end of the October meeting where we strongly and pointedly called on President Buhari to give attention to the growing insecurity in the north and the whole of Nigeria reflects the desperate and exact feelings of the whole North.
“Sadly since our meeting in October in Kaduna, the security situation is getting worse. There have been serial killings of more people in the North by the bandits whom the Minister of police claimed falsely have been defeated.
“Even as the Minister was claiming falsely, whether in ignorance or deliberate, victory over bandits, 12 Police superintendents on official duty from Zamfara to Kano were overpowered by superior tactics and force while driving in a convoy and abducted with a heavy ransom demand on each policeman’s family.
“Apart from that the bandits mounted four roadblocks on Kaduna-Abuja road which the police have claimed severally that they have liberated from bandits.
“News reports by the media speak of many dead and several others taken away by bandits for ransom. Nine students of French at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria on educational tour were taken away and a whooping ransom of N270m placed on their heads. Three escaped with gunshot wounds.
“The police are now claiming they have been rescued. Given the level of distrust in security forces, we are cannot vouch for what happened.”
(Ripples Nigeria)
