Some Nigerian leaders, including Brigadier General Idada Ikponmwen now retired and Dr Kunle Olajide, General Secretary of Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), have decried the reign of terror in the country, just as a prominent Middle Belt leader, Professor Yusuf Turaki, has condemned the lackadaisical posture of state governors in the Northern part of Nigeria.
According to Professor Turaki, Boko Haram and other criminal elements have constituted themselves into authority and formed a government within a government.
Speaking to Sunday Tribune in Jos, Professor Turaki, who was one of the signatories to the document entitled: Notice of Constitutional Grievances Declaration of Constitutional Forces Majeure and Demand for Transitional Process for an Orderly Reconfiguration of the Constitutional Basis of the Federation of Nigeria, said bandits and terrorist groups in the North are gradually taking over the region.
“Bandits are supposed to be a rag-tag and unorganised groups, but in the North they are organised with sophisticated weapons. Why calling them bandits when the government openly negotiates and pays ransom to them?
“They collected levies and taxes from people mostly farmers. That is to say we have a government within a government; so they have become a government and torment government at will,” he said.
Professor Turaki, who is one of those calling for the repeal of the 1999 Constitution, said the current constitution created by the military was not working neither is it workable, adding that many Nigerians were not happy with it.
“The present constitution favours one section of the country against the others. It muzzles others to give another section an advantage. By hanging on to the defrauded constitution, the country is angry, people are dying on a daily basis, there is insecurity, there is hunger and mutual suspicions.
“It is time for Nigeria to sit down at a round table and discuss their identities. Nothing is working in this country. Nigerians don’t have freedom; it is like we are under a Police State. Recently, the youths trooped out but instead of listening to them, they were brutalised. We no longer have a goal as a nation; people are just running the country to suit their interests.
“They impose fear and anxiety on Nigerians. You can’t talk freely. There is invasion everywhere and nothing is being done. Where are those people killing in the Middle Belt coming from? They are from the North. Northerners are killing Northerners. Modern day slavery is presently going on in the North. These problems can only be resolved through renegotiation of Nigeria and repealing the constitution,” he said.
Professor Turaki, who said the present government in the country lacked political will to stem the tide of insecurity ravaging the country, added that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has failed Nigerians in all ramifications of life.
“The present administration lacks political will to stem the tide of insecurity in the country. Things are getting worse on a daily basis; in 2015, the government promised to address insecurity in the North within six months. Five years down the line nothing is being done; it is rather getting worse, it is quite unfortunate,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State has signed into law the Anti-kidnapping, Anti-land grabbing, Cultism and Other Anti-violence Related Matters Bill passed by the state House of Assembly.
The governor said the law was long overdue because of the increase in kidnapping, land grabbing and other violent crimes within the state.
“As a responsible government, we cannot fold our arms and see people being terrorised by criminals who are clearly out to cause mayhem. This new law will deal with anyone caught in the act and I urge security agencies to be on their toes and ensure that culprits are apprehended and made to face the law.” he said.
He called on communities to rise up to the challenge by identifying and fishing out criminals within their domains and passing relevant information to security agencies to act upon.
The law provides for death sentence for those convicted for kidnapping while those found guilty for cultism shall be jailed for a minimum of seven years. Others involved in meting out violence on anyone risk spending up to 10 years in jail upon conviction.
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