A Coalition of Northern youth groups, under the umbrella of the Coalition Against Killings In Northern Nigeria, CAKIN, and the Northern Groups Coalition, NGC, have asked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to stop the massive killings and raiding of communities in the North, by bandits and the Boko Haram insurgents.
In separate statements issued on Monday, in Kaduna, they decried the deplorable security situation in the North, and demanded the immediate removal of the Service Chiefs.
The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the situation quickly, to prevent further maiming and destruction of lives and property in the region.
CAKIN in its statement, gave a 14-day ultimatum to Federal Government to stop the killings in the entire States of the North, warning that it would be left with no option than to mobilise citizens to take to streets, until the government is completely shutdown.
The group lamented that 5 years into President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the security situation has continued to escalate, leading to massive killings and destruction.
Their statement was signed by Isa Abubakar, Northern Youth Council of Nigeria; Yerima Shettima, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum; Yusufu Amoke, Northern Anti Corruption Front; Mohammed Danlami, Arewa Youth Assembly; and Murtala Abubakar, Joint Action Committee of Northern Youth Association; among others.
The group declared that Buhari has failed Nigerians who gave him massive support, believing that as a Retired Military General, he had the capacity to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country.
“It is on a sad note that this Coalition wishes to remind the Federal Government and government at all levels, that the primary responsibility of government anywhere, particularly the one that was democratically elected by voters, is to protect the lives and property of citizens.
“Recall, that Nigerians, particularly Northerners, voted President Muhammad Buhari en mass to power in 2015, in anticipations that as a former Military Head of State, and a retired General, he is positioned to deal decisively with all forms of threats to the security of our people, particularly challenges of Boko Haram, that had caused hardship and unprecedented destruction of lives and economic activities.
“Alas, five years into President Muhammad Buhari’s tenure, instead of reducing insecurity, it has escalated, thereby exposing great numbers of our people to avoidable deaths and loss of property, in a manner that history has never witnessed before”, the CAKIN said.
