A strong appeal has been sent to President Muhammadu Buhari by a group of young professionals to quickly rise to the occasion of curbing the blood-letting by the herdsmen across the country, particularly in the Middle Belt Region.
The Group, Lawyers Community, rising from its inaugural meeting at Bagauda, Kano, said it seemed to it that Federal Government has been treating the herdsmen onslaught on innocent Nigerians with kid’s glove.
In a communique released after its meeting, the Group’s Chancellor, Mr Saviour Ekong Esq, said Federal Government, as a matter of urgency, needs to curb the attack, which is capable of consuming the country if nothing is quickly done to arrest the situation.
He noted that since the primary function of any government is the security and welfare of the people as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the Federal Government owes Nigerians that duty to protect them as well as their property wherever they may be residing.
He stated that the Group will soon be moving round the country to assess the situation so as to bring up-to-date information on the security situation and the level of safety of the environment within which the people live.
He disclosed that as young legal practitioners, one of the Group’s objective is to increase awareness of the people about their fundamental rights and what they should do in the event their rights are violated by anybody, be it private individual or government agencies or security.
The communique read in part: “We are of the view that the rampaging herdsmen, whether they are Nigerians or foreigners as the Federal Government gleefully wants the people to believe, must be stopped altogether before the situation degenerates into full blown ethnic crisis across the country.
“Insecurity is a threat to any country. No development or progress can be made without guaranteed security of lives and properties.
“A nation where lives of innocent people are destroyed on the altar of sheer ethnic loyalty is not acceptable to the people and this group condemns it in strong terms. It behoves the group to tell the administration of PMB that insecurity to one is insecurity to all.
“We also call on the Federal Government to put its act together and rise up to the occasion instead of apportioning blames on foreigners. It is time we united in this country if truly we want to be great.”
Packaged by Alice Egbedele
