It is time for self-defense — Suleiman

Nigerians are still in shock by the horrific killing of about 78 rice farmers at Zabarmari in Borno State, but a week after the horror, outrage, statements, and sympathy, nothing else has been done to assure the people of their safety. No resignations from those who have failed to do their job. 

Now all that's left is for the issue to disappear into the background like the ones before it. We're used to that right? 

 

A pan-Arewa social political organisation, Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), however, is asking the people of the affected region to protect themselves against bandits.

Addressing newsmen on Saturday in Abuja, CNG spokesman, Abul-Azeez Sulieman, said the advice became necessary because of the inability of the Federal Government to stop the incessant banditry ravaging the region.

Sulieman noted that even the utterances of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicty, Garba Shehu; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, “exposed the misleading claims that the President Muhammadu Buhari government and our military have decimated the insurgents….”

He added: “We are thus agitated by the lame unsympathetic excuse of breaching army protocol by the slain farmers made by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the indecent and callous attribution of the people’s anger and frustration to mere politicking by Information Minister, Lai Mohammed and the unhelpful, scary twenty-year life span prediction for the rampaging security situation by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai.

“In the light of the current general and pervasive insecurity being felt across the North with regularity of attacks, killings, kidnapping, insurgency, highway robberies and the sacking of entire communities and the realisation that leaders such as the ones we have, who cannot be advised or criticised, are a liability, have increased our conviction that the only remaining option is for the people to mobilise for a regulated self protection.”