The Rebuild Arewa Initiative For Development, RAID and the Northern Consensus Movement, NCM, has condemned the heinous abduction and murder of His Highness Alhaji Isa Muhammad Bawa, the Emir of Gobir, urging Governors in the northern region to wake up to their responsibilities.
They called on the Federal Government to evolve new strategies to secure lives and properties, noting that Nigeria cannot grow under the current conditions.
President of RAID, Comrade Balarabe Rufai, who disclosed this in Abuja, at the press briefing, observed with dismay the wanton killings of innocent citizens and Traditional Rulers in the region by criminal elements and called for more proactive measures from security agencies to harken to their duties of protecting lives and properties of the citizenry.
While advocating for peace, unity, and development of this region, they condemned this act and also felt disappointed in how the Sokoto State Government handled the matter lackadaisical and unprofessionally which led to the killing of the monarch.
The group urged the Minister of Defence, State Minister of Defence, and Heads of Security organizations to double their efforts in restoring security in the north.
Rufai said: “We in RAID, NCM and the entire Northern Nigeria are highly disappointed with the Government of Sokoto State.
“As the chief security officer of the State, he demonstrated poor capacity in protecting the Royal father who jealously served his people and state for more than 40 years.
“We also observe with dismay the wanton killings of innocent Citizens and Traditional Rulers in the region by criminal elements and call for more proactive measures from Security Agencies to harden their duties of protecting lives and properties of the citizenry.
“We are calling on some Governors in the region to as a matter of utmost priority treat insecurity as their top agenda of governance; States such: Niger, where farmers farmlands are now shared with bandits, Taraba State, where many Chiefs have been killed by bandits.
“The recent one was the killing of the Chief of Chanchangi ‘Chief of Chamber’ in Takum Local Government; Katsina State, where an SA to Governor and his wife were killed by some bandits; Zamfara State, where our gallant Soldiers were ambushed, killed and vehicles burnt down to mention but a few.
“We say without mincing words that enough of the killings of our traditional fathers in Northern Nigeria and Nigeria at large. We frowned at that. We would not relent in our community engagement to curtail these heinous activities being perpetrated.
“Insecurities and killings of innocent citizens have kept on growing, unabated as if there’s no existence of government in place.”
The group condemned the killings of traditional rulers, stating that “enough is enough” and vowed to continue community engagement to curtail the heinous activities.
Also speaking, the National President of Nineteen Seventeen Northern Consensus Movement For Peace Unity Empowerment and Development Initiative, NSNCM, Awwal Abdullahi Aliyu, called on the federal government to evolve new strategy to securing lives and properties of the citizenry as Nigerian Nation can’t grow under such conditions, bedeviled by the continuous killing of citizens by criminal elements,
They called on the Federal Government and the State Governments to fast track the autonomy of Local Government areas so that the Local Government administrators can assist in curbing the excessive criminality and criminal tendencies at the grassroots.