Alhaji Yerima Abdullahi

By Segun Awofadeji

The North-east Forum for Unity and Development (NEFUD), comprising almost all elders in the geo-political region, has said that it would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that peace reigned again in the area in particular and the nation in general.

The forum’s security committee chairman, Alhaji Yerima Abdullahi, who gave the assurance in Bauchi at a press briefing shortly after the meeting of the body Saturday, described the security challenge as a very serious matter which needs to be tackled seriously.

“Nobody is happy to see that kind of situation. Even smaller places like Damaturu and Potiskum are affected but we are not saying that the insecurity is limited to these places, no it affects all of the North-east and the North is also affected. We will do our best to ensure that we have peace once again in the region and indeed in Nigeria,” Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi said the North-east did not have insecurity monopoly as it affects all parts of the country, saying only Boko Haram is predominant in the region whereas kidnappings and armed robbery features predominantly in other parts of the country. 

He said, “If the Boko Haram are our own indigenes, if they are people from outside who came in, if the Boko Harams are something else, we intend to talk to them and we know if they are our own children, we will try our best to have access to them in the language we hope they will understand and stop the carnage”.

Abdullahi, a former minister and now the Sarkin Bai of Gombe, described the Boko Haram saga as a thorny issue that is worrying every well-meaning Nigerian, saying nobody will be happy to see such kind of situation.

“If you know Maiduguri very well, which used to be a very vibrant city, it is now in a sorry state, different from what it used to be”, he remarked, stressing that all hands must be on deck to ensure that citizens live in peace and harmony.