SOUTHERN and Middle Belt Forum (SMB) leaders on Monday charged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately affect the sack and replacement of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, for failure to stop the ongoing carnage by armed Fulani herdsmen against people of Benue.
The report said a total of 49 victims of the carnage were being prepared for burial by the state government headed by Governor Samuel Ortom.
The Forum leaders equally charged President Buhari to address the country on the ugly trend and announce concrete measures to assure citizens that his government had not abdicated the primary responsibility of protecting lives and property, while also calling on the National Assembly to cut short its recess to address what they described as “this national emergency.”
“We call on all statesmen and leaders across the country to speak up on this national disaster as silence is sinful,” the Forum added.
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SMB leaders made these calls as part of their 6-point demand in a statement titled: ‘Stop the Benue carnage and let justice flow!,’ jointly issued by Mr Yinka Odumakin (South West), Senator Bassey Henshaw (South-South), Prof Chigozie Ogbu (South East) and Dr Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt), copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune.
The Forum, which condemned the remark made by the IGP after meeting with President Buhari in the Villa that the horrendous killing of innocent victims was occasioned by communal clash and that the armed herdsmen were Nigerians, also called for immediate arrests of the killers and their sponsors, saying the Federal Government must immediately disarm all herdsmen across the country.
They equally demanded an urgent commencement of the unbundling of the police structure so that states must have their own police to enforce laws made by their Houses of Assembly.
The leaders, who expressed disgust at the level of killings, the seeming indifference by the government in condemning the crimes and going after the perpetrators, said these demands became “necessary in order to restore faith in the government and prevent a resort to self-help in the face of existential threats from killers.”
“Southern and Middle Belt Forum leaders are appalled by the level of killings that have gone on in Benue State in the last few days and the seeming official indifference in condemning and going after the perpetrators of the deadly crimes.
“We have seen images of horror and wanton killings perpetrated by killer herdsmen who went on a killing spree and are now granting press conferences justifying why they carried out such a barbaric act,” the Forum said.
The Forum, while justifying its call for immediate sack of the police IG, said it was further embarrassed that he (Idris) had instead been making excuses for the killer-herdsmen against the call of his duty which demanded that he should cause their arrests.
“We are further embarrassed that the Inspector General of Police, who ordinarily should have gone after these criminals, has been making excuses for the murderers; against the call of his duty.
“The IGP after meeting with President Buhari at the Villa, last Friday, made highly insensitive remarks: ‘Obviously it is a communal crisis; herdsmen are part of the community. They are Nigerians and are part of the community. Are they not?'” SMB leaders recalled.
“We consider the above remarks highly unbecoming of the no. 1 cop in Nigeria who should enforce the law against murderers. And it has shown clearly what the lopsided appointments to security forces can cause.
“A multi-ethnic society requires a reflection of its plurality in the leadership of its security apparatus so that the type of balance required can be provided at all times. We must also express our reservations about the defeating silence by the President about these killings; as we are yet to hear a word directly from him over these cold-blooded murders, which many have seen as reprisals over the outlawing of open-grazing of cattle in Benue State,” the Forum lamented.
According to it, these killings threaten the fragile unity of Nigeria, saying that the official handling of the fall-outs was proving worse than the very sinister act itself.
It said further that as things stood, the confidence of most sections of the county in the willingness of the Federal Government to protect them was badly shaken due to fact that the Federal Government appeared largely compromised.
“These killings threaten the fragile unity of this country and the official handling of the fall-outs is proving worse than the very sinister act itself.
As things stand, the confidence of most sections of the county in the willingness of the Federal Government to protect them is badly shaken as the authority of the central government appears largely compromised,” the Forum said.
“Our hearts go out to all grieving families as we pray the Almighty to wipe their tears even as we demand swift justice,” the Forum said in conclusion.