Thousands of northern communities at the mercy of criminals – Northern groups

… fault FG’s coup story

Bisi ABASS

The Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has called on the government 

 to reminded itself that hundreds of thousands of people in northern communities have been at the mercy of bandits, kidnappers and rustlers without any form of police protection. 

CNG in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, stated this while dismissing the news of an impending coup as a smokescreen intended to divert attention from the failure to acknowledge the huge demands being made for the President to address serious shortfalls in the nation’s policing and security institutions. 

CNG faulted the statement by the Federal Government on alleged planned incitement to mutiny, describing it as unhelpful and doubtful fabrication. 

The CNG observed that it was the height of ineptitude for an administration  that has clearly failed on the manner it approaches sensitive matters such as security of citizens and glaring excesses of the administration’s  officials to make such allegations. 

 “ This confirms the extent of its incompetence and lack of political will,” they alleged. 

According to the groups, “It is a sad commentary that government should choose a time when the  verdict from every section of the country is that many things are seriously wrong with our economy, national unity and security to come up with such allegations of a planned military takeover. 

 “It is ridiculous that this is coming at a time when there are many abuses that ought to have been checked by this administration, but were ignored or treated with levity owing to very low levels of respect for accountability, the statement is a signal that those charged with the responsibility of governance are only concerned with the perpetuation of power.“

The CNG said, “rather than cooking up such pedestrian coup plot story, President Buhari ought to have reminded himself that hundreds of thousands of people in northern communities have been at the mercy of bandits, kidnappers and rustlers without any form of police protection. “ 

“That government should stoop as low as to contrive a coup story to cover its  failure in relieving the widespread hardships and stresses faced by the nation, amounts to an admission of loss of capacity and political will to tackle the current challenges around economy, insecurity and national unity.”