Gov’t that can’t protect citizens deserves not to be in power – Northern group
As Nigerians continue to lament the worsening spate of insecurity in the country, Jama’atu Nasir Islam (JNI), the umbrella body for Northern Muslims, has declared that any government that is unable to safeguard the lives and property of its citizens has lost the moral justification to be in power.
In a statement yesterday in Kaduna, the religious body headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, condemned the persistent attacks and killings by terrorists in the country. It bemoaned the recent attack on an Abuja-Kaduna passenger train in which eight people were confirmed killed while many others were either abducted or injured.
The statement signed by the Secretary General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Aliyu, declared, “Any government that is incapable of protecting the lives of its citizens has lost the moral justification of being there in the first place; this is enunciated in Section 33(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
It stressed regarding to train attack, “The well-orchestrated incident remains highly condemnable, reprehensible and upsetting to every rational mind.”
JNI stated that the frequent attacks and killings, which occurred almost on a daily basis, were becoming normal occurrences among Nigerians, noting that humanity is gradually being eroded and criminality accepted as the new normal.
The group said, “It appears that the continuous callous acts of mayhem, killings and arson happening almost on daily or weekly bases around us; either within communities and/or on the roads we ply, has automatically reset our human psyche that we now have accepted such dastardly acts as part of our lives, to the extent that we no longer feel it.
READ ALSO: Massive resignation of political office holders looms in Taraba
“The humanity in us is slowly being eroded thereby making us adapt to the new normal within which we unfortunately found ourselves.”
JNI maintained, “In Islam and by all global standards, the essence of government and governance is solely to protect the five principal cardinal rights of the human race, the most important of which is LIFE!”
Aliyu said JNI had carefully studied and followed the train blast, especially, the attack on another train, reported to have occurred on the Lagos-Kano bound train, near Jaji, Kaduna state, on March 31, which led to the death of the locomotive operator.
“Therefore, this press release is premised on the fact that Nigeria is more or less heading to an unknown destination of multiple cum well-coordinated serial chaos attributable to lack of coordination and synergy from security personnel, if the news making the round is to be believed,” he said.
JNI said in Islam, human life was sacrosanct, “That is why Allah (SWT) declared in the Glorious Quran that if a single soul is killed without just cause, then it is as if the entire humanity is wiped off the face of the earth.
“We claim to be people of faith and all these occurrences are allowed without any form of prompt intervention. Why?
“Well, it should be known that an attack on one soul; is an attack on all, and this is how the human race should be preserved and protected, but if allowed to continue we fear the consequence(s) of the innocent souls that were killed, without any fault of theirs.”
The statement regretted that, “Terrorists are now becoming bolder and more belligerent by the day. They operate in any area of their choice(s) at any time they so wish.
“They even operate for up to eight hours non-stop (as it was reported to have happened in Niger state last Monday), without any fear of being confronted or apprehended.”
It lamented that, “Most communities are now under the bandits’ absolute control with taxes being paid to bandits–some parts of Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Sokoto states and some others yet to be disclosed to the public.
“In fact, terrorists do what they wish knowing that there is no gun power or authority that will defy them.”
The Islamic body wondered why the security situation had continued to deteriorate, despite the allocation of huge resources to the security agencies.
JNI stated, “With all the reported resources allocated to relevant security agencies; intelligent gathering mechanism, military arsenal and tact, can’t the government provide any convincing justification on why the security situation in the country continue to deteriorate?
“Why are attacks experienced all over the place and continuing unabated without any deterrence?
“Moreover, why must security budget and expenditure remain so secretive, despite the reported release of funds?
“The mind boggling train attack of Monday 28th March, 2022, the kidnap and sporadic shootings that ensued thereafter the train en-route Kaduna needs to be seriously investigated and punitive measures taken.”
The group, however, commended the security personnel who exhibited capacity, resilience, determination and dexterity during rescue operations on the attacked Abuja-Kaduna train.
JNI noted that most Nigerians were of the belief that the government knew the enclaves and hideouts of the criminals, especially considering the fact that only the government had monopoly of legal force, and, by extension, the machinery for intelligence gathering.
The statement queried, “Again, why can’t the government proactively take the battle to the criminals’ hideouts and wipe them off?
“Why should the government wait until people are attacked, lives and properties lost for them to strike and be issuing empty orders and usual condemnation? The whys are endless?”
it then stated, “Our pleas: it is high time the security outfits are directed to ransack the enclaves of all criminal elements and deal with them decisively.
“Informants should not be spared, as they are more dangerous than the killers. They should be made to face the right punishment befitting their crime.
“The intelligence community should beef-up their efforts in trying to dig to the root of this phenomena.”
It noted that most acts of terrorism and banditry were carried out under the influence of hard drugs and called on the authorities to wage war on the use of illicit drugs.
The statement added, “As part of effort to tackle insecurity in Nigeria, the war on drug should be placed on the front burner as it is the elixir that spurs criminals to action.
“Suppliers, vendors and traffickers of hard drug and intoxicants must be dealt with decisively.
“The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) and other security agencies should as a matter of national security note and penetrate into villages, higher institution campuses, motor parks and recreational or viewing centres, because they are now dwellings where hard drugs/substances are being peddled brazenly.
“Likewise, parents, religious and community leaders have a role to play in the fight against illicit drugs/substance pervading most households within our neighbourhoods.
“This should be considered a fight for all and not only for the government.”
The JNI appealed to those vested with the responsibility of protecting lives to do their job with the fear of God.
It warned against the politicisation of security, stating, “If the terrorists have the effrontery to attack at any time without fear, why should the government shy away from pursuing and destroying them?
“We nevertheless reiterate our several calls to government that there is strong nexus between the Boko Haram insurgency and the on-going banditry in some parts of country.”
