June 20, (THEWILL) – The Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF) has condemned the rising spate of violence and banditry, especially the continued genocidal attacks in the Middle Belt region, saying the persistent killings, kidnappings, and displacement of indigenous communities indicate that both the executive and legislative have failed in their primary duty.
The Forum declared this position in a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
Jointly signed by leaders of Afenifere, Oba Oladipo Olaitan; Middle Belt Forum, Dr Bitrus Pogu; Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata and PANDEF, Ambassador Godknows Igali, the communique charged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to address the pressing security challenges to avoid instability and social disintegration.
The Forum also condemned the proposed establishment of the National Forest Guards scheme by the Federal Government, describing it as an attempt to impose additional federal security structures within the states.
It reads: “The Federal Government of Nigeria and particularly the National Assembly must now accept their failure to provide the most fundamental security of life and property across the country whilst we witness the impunity of Fulani terrorists and their foreign collaborators wrecking genocidal attacks on indigenous communities across the nation and particularly in the Middle Belt region as happening currently in Benue State.
“That SMBLF condemns the planned National Forest Guards as an additional Federal Security structure in the states and demands that all security institutions or formations apart from the armed forces, police, civil defence and the state security services should be part of the security architecture of the states, more so as lands and forests are exclusive constitutional prerogatives of the federating states.
“For the umpteenth time, SMBLF calls on the president and the National Assembly to rise to their constitutional responsibility and duty to protect the life and property of Nigerians as we propose as follows:
“That pending full-fledged restructuring towards true federalism, governments of the states of the federation should take immediate measures to provide security for their people in the nature of the Amotekun South West Security Network with the full complement of weapons to face and deter insurgency and terrorism.
“That these security measures are considered more effective than the current unitary architecture in a Federation, which renders governors as Chief Security Officers of their states only in name.”
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