Nigerians frustrated, end these killings ―Ezekwesili tasks Buhari

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili on Thursday echoed the frustration of Nigerians at the killings of Nigerians across the country, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to put an end to seeming freedom to kill by herdsmen and reveal the identities of those behind the killings.

Likening the situation to turning the country to a killing field and normalizing endless blood flow, Ezekwesili said the Buhari will only end the seeming implicit complicity of his administration by clearly disclosing his strategy to ending the killings.

Ezekwesili’s personally signed statement pointed to the ineffectiveness of security agencies in stopping the menace, admonishing Buhari to end perceived loyalty to service chiefs and therefore review the nation’s security architecture.

To show commitment to ensuring justice for the dead, she further tasked the Buhari administration to reveal the identities of all perpetrators of the killings in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara, Adamawa, Nassarawa, Kogi among other states in the country.

In this light, she admonished Buhari to commission an independent research to find the root causes of killings with a view to bringing up lasting solutions to the problems.

Also expedient, according to Ezekwesili was the need for the federal government to convene a meeting of all communities affected by terrorist-herdsmen clashes and mobilize Nigerians for sustainable peace.

Ezekwesili’s 18-point prayers read, in parts, “Stop the daily killing of Nigerians by terrorist-herdsmen now! Nigeria must not be changed into a vast killing field under your watch, Mr President. Enough of what could be interpreted as the implicit complicity of your administration in the frequent killings of your citizens Mr President!!!

“Stop normalising endless blood flow of even our innocent children in the land now!!! Stop the bloodletting. It is an aberration. Share the credible strategy and solutions of your administration to the daily killings of Nigerians with the people.

“Reveal the identities of all the perpetrators of at least all killings that have happened under your administration in Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Zamfara, Adamawa, Nassarawa, Kogi and other states and the state of judicial proceedings to secure deterrent sanctions. Reveal the identities, arrest and array all suspected murderers in court now!!!

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“End the freedom to kill and maim that the Nigerian has handed to terrorist-herdsmen. Commence effective investigation, arrest, prosecution and sanction of perpetrators of violent crimes in all affected states now.  Give justice to the dead now and secure the living in all affected communities.

“End the ineffectiveness of our security establishments, systems and processes now. Stop rewarding the incompetence and failure of leadership of the security architecture of Nigeria. The cost of their failure is extremely high in the 1,196 (approx)Nigerians that have died in only the first five and half months of this year.

“End your loyalty to your service chiefs and head of security because of their loyalty to your person. It is a breach of the oath you swore into office to place nigeria above your personal interest.  It is simply put, an abuse of office.

“Stop your cold and visible lack of empathy toward a segment of your citizens who are daily killed with impunity while you personally make and issue statements that include endorsing their killers’ scandalous justification of their crime as a mere retaliatory act for lost cows.

“Stop the seeming troubling endorsement by your administration of the repugnant admission by an organization that it kills human beings who are your citizens for their own lost cows. Sanction the inspector general of police now if the Nigerian police fails to arrest those who allegedly made the recent herdsmen association statement and their members who were assigned to execute the so-called ‘retaliatory attacks’.

“Mr President, your bias in handling the killings and abductions of a certain segment of Nigerians is all too obvious and unbecoming of a leader of a diverse nation like Nigeria. All Nigerian lives matter!

“Stop the blame game and your confusing statements on the killings of your citizens. Today, Maumer Qaddafi’s Libya destabilization. Tomorrow, your political opponents. Next week, the affected-communities of state who are already victims of the criminal negligence and failure to protect by your administration.

“Commission an urgent independent research and study into the root causes for evidence based comprehensive approach to build back the broken down community peace and security in affected states.

“Immediately convene a meeting of all communities affected by terrorist-herdsmen and use your presidential soft power to mobilize Nigerians for sustainable peace. This would include discussions on how to govern land, water and pasture in a market-based manner where no group feels entitled to the others’ assets. Support communities to institute local conflict resolution systems, mechanisms and platforms.”