Persons Living With Disability Initiative (PLWDI), an NGO, has expressed concern over what it called “Rising Cases of Persons Living with Disabilities” as a result of the insurgency and the activities of bandits and kidnappers.
The President of the group, Mr Augustine Onwuamaegbu, expressed the group’s worry in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the government should move quickly to tackle insecurity in many parts of the country, which gave rise to the high number of persons living with disabilities.
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He also urged the government to overhaul the security agencies in the country to forestall the increasing rate of victims of banditry, kidnap and violence.
The PLWD president said that the number of disable persons owing to the insurgency, banditry, kidnap and violence, especially in the North East and Zamfara, was alarming.
He added that such an increase would not augur well for the country, saying that there was a need to address the menace of banditry and insurgency to stem the situation.
Onwuamaegbu said he was aware that the government was working hard to provide a lasting solution to insecurity in the country, stressing that “all hands must be on deck to tackle the situation because the government cannot do it alone.”
He sympathised with the victims, saying he had been overwhelmed with calls from them, wanting to be enlisted in the PLWDI because of one form of disability or the other arising from insecurity.
He called for a security summit that would involve major stakeholders, including traditional rulers across the country, to proffer solutions to the situation.
He also urged the Federal Government to fast track the creation of the Commission for People Living with Disability to take care of the agitations of the people.
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