Insecurity: Ban open grazing, create border security forces — David Mark urges FG

Former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has called on the Federal Government to be more proactive in its efforts to tackle the menace of violent crimes, kidnapping, and armed herdsmen devastating parts of Nigeria.

He suggested that such violent and murderous groups should be declared as terrorists and treated accordingly.

In his Easter message signed by his media aide, Paul Mumeh, Senator Mark — who is from Benue State — bemoaned the unrelenting violent crimes, especially in his home state and in Plateau, which have claimed dozens of lives and destroyed properties.

He said: “We must not shy away from the truth. If they are not terrorists, why are they killing people? Why are they destroying communities? Why are they chasing people away from their ancestral homes?”

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He decried the persistent activities of armed herdsmen suspected to be behind the killings and kidnappings, stressing that “their activities are unacceptable and should not only be condemned but prohibited entirely, as nobody has the right to take another person’s life.”

On the ongoing ferocious and murderous attacks on several communities in Benue and Plateau States, Senator Mark called on the Federal Government to proscribe open grazing across the country and, in its place, establish enclosed ranching — which is the global best practice.

The former Senate President, whose Otukpo country home in Benue South has come under suspected herdsmen attacks, called for a more inclusive approach to tackle insecurity in all its ramifications.

Mark also called for the establishment of a well-equipped Border Security Force (BSF) to halt the influx of criminals into the country, pointing out that most of the suspected herders killing Nigerians take advantage of the country’s porous borders to enter from neighbouring countries.

He added: “We must not allow criminal elements to stream into our country. We must, therefore, change our strategy. Maybe, we can begin to think of fencing our borders like India, Israel, the United States, and Mexico.”

When established, he said, the National Border Security Force (NBSF) would not only be saddled with the mandate of policing our porous borders but also tasked with combating terrorism, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.

Justifying his current stance, Senator Mark — who decried the carnage in Benue and Plateau States — said that a debilitating disease deserves a more serious medication if it must be cured.

He commiserated with the people and governments of Benue and Plateau States, as well as all those who have lost loved ones.