By Orkula Shaagee and Jude Opara, Abuja

An air of disharmony is blowing in the northern part of the country with the elders, youths and government functionaries towing different parts in the current wave of insecurity pervading the region.

Barely two days ago, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) raised the  alarm alerting that they were now at the mercy of bandits terrorising, killing and maiming them at will in the region.

In a statement issued by the convener of the forum, Professor Ango Abdullahi the NEF observed that the situation was getting worse by the day.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that the people of the region have never experienced this level of attacks, killing, maiming and rape”.

 “Recent escalation of attacks by bandits, rustlers and insurgents leave the only conclusion that the people of the North are now completely at the mercy of armed gangs who roam towns and villages at will, wreaking havoc”.

However, in a swift reaction, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described  Northern Elders Forum (NEF) headed by Prof. Ango Abdullahi,  as a toothless bulldog.

“We are not surprised by this latest statement by Prof. Abdullahi, and our past position on what his group represents remains unchanged: a mere irritant and featherweight.

” The former vice chancellor signed the statement under the banner of Northern Elders Forum (NEF). Hearing that title, you would think the body was a conglomeration of true elders. But the truth is that NEF is just Ango Abdullahi, and Ango Abdullahi is NEF.

“It is a quasi-organization that boasts of no credible membership, and its leader is akin to a General without troops.

“Before the 2019 presidential election, the one-man army called NEF had shown its antipathy against President Buhari, and its preference for another candidate. They all got beaten together.

As if that was not sufficient, the coalition of nine Arewa youth groups yesterday gave the Federal Government 14 days ultimatum to address the security problem in the north or face mass action.

This is even as the indigenous people of Katsina state called for a declaration of the state of emergency in the state “to stave-off the frequent killings of innocent people by bandits”.
Joined in the to address insecurity in the north, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), from the 19 states in the north, is also  asking the federal government to tackle the high level insecurity in the region.

The northern youths, in a statement in Kaduna, advised President Muhammadu Buhari sack service chiefs and abolish security votes for governors, saying they had outlived their usefulness.

The statement was signed by Isa Abubakar of the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria; Yerima Shettima of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum; Yusuf idris Amoke of Northern Anti-Corruption Front; Mohammed Salihu Danlami of Arewa Youth Assembly; and Murtala Abubakar   of Joint Action Committee of Northern Youth Associations. Others include Dr. idris Mohammed of CUPS; Gambo Gujungu of Arewa Youth Forum; Muhammad Isah Imam of Northern Youth Forum; and Mikailu Abubakar of Arewa Defense League.

The statement read:  “It is on a sad note that this coalition wishes to remind the Federal Government and government at all levels, that the primary responsibility of government anywhere, particularly the one that was democratically elected by voters, is to protect the lives and property of citizens.

“Recall that Nigerians, particularly Northerners, voted President Muhammadu Buhari enmass to power in 2015 in anticipation that as a former military head of state, and a retire General, he is positioned to deal decisively with all forms of threats to the security of our people, particularly challenges of Boko Haram that had caused hardship and unprecedented destruction of lives and economy activities. ‘’Alas, five years into President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, instead of reducing insecurity, it has escalated, thereby exposing great numbers of our people to avoidable deaths and loss of property in a manner that history has never witnessed before.

“It is our constitutional duty to raise voices and call attention to the killings that are taking place across states of the Northern region on a daily basis and mobilize citizens on how to constructively engage government at all levels and make demands to end the killings.

“ The coalition is saying enough is enough and an end must be put to the mindless killings of our people, particularly in the villages, and the nonchalant attitude displayed by government and its agencies to the plights of people going through horrific experience in the hands of criminals that seem to have overwhelmed our security agencies is unacceptable.

In the same vein, the indigenous people of Katsina based in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, called on the Federal Government to urgently declare a state of emergency in the state, following high level of insecurity in Katsina State. In a statement issued in Abuja, the group, acting under the aegis of Concerned Katsina Youth Vanguard, noted that recent developments leading to wanton killings of innocent people in the state was a testament to the fact that the state government could not guarantee the safety of lives and property of citizens of the state.

They blamed the state government for the spate of insecurity in the state, noting that the ceasefire deal reached with bandits has not yielded any result.

Deputy spokesman of the group, Alhaji Shamsudeen Danasibi Faskari, who signed the statement, said residents of the state now live in palpable fears, as security agencies appeared helpless, stressing that the situation had reached an unimaginable level.

 “Precisely December 2019, we spoke eloquently through the press on the state of armed attacks, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area of Katsina State. On that very occasion, we came up with a catalogue of 29 different cases of bandit attacks all in the month of December, 2019. “However, we observed that after our landmark press conference held last December, normalcy was restored to the area.

“Regrettably, that relative peace was cut short as bandits attacks resumed in full swing in March, 2020, extending their operations to other parts of the state.

“We have watched with a heavy heart how our people are being slaughtered like sheep and goats. We have also watched helplessly how communities are being invaded and how families and kindred are being wiped out by bandits, while security agencies appear helpless. “We have crossed the Rubicon and there is no turning back. Therefore, we are calling on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, impose a state of emergency on the state. Federal Government should take-over the security apparatus of the state until lives and property of citizens are guaranteed. The lives of our people are far more precious than any office.

Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),   Rev. Yakubu Pam, also yesterday called for concerted effort by relevant stakeholders to stem the tide of insecurity in the different states in the region.

 Pam urged governors in the region, led by the governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, to work collectively to surmount the challenges of poverty, ethnic bigotry, religion and other issues that undermined the value of democracy in the North.

In a statement, titled: ‘’Stop the mass killings in the north,’’CAN expressed sadness about the increasing insecurity in the north, especially in Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto and Borno states, and, indeed, the country at large.

CAN chairman in   Kaduna State, Rev. John Hayab, who stated this yesterday, said in the last few weeks, hundreds of people had been killed by the Boko Haram and bandits who had been invading communities and unleashing mayhem on the people.

“Our security agencies appear to be overwhelmed and lack new tactics to handle the situation.  Both the state and federal governments seem to be shying away from the reality of the problem and appear to be living in self-denial, while people are being massacred by criminals. ‘’People are now living in perpetual fear as they are not safe on the highways and even in their homes.  Rural communities are being invaded by bandits and farmers cannot go to their farms for fear of being killed or abducted for ransom by gunmen. ‘’For us as a religious body, this country belongs to all Nigerians and our leaders must listen to the cries of Nigerians about the continuous declining security situation”, the CAN leader said.