Dike Onwuamaeze
The President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Ayuba Wabba, has called on the government and the security forces to evolve an entirely new strategy in the war against terrorism that would break the spinal cord of the evil sponsors of the Boko Haram insurgency.
According to Wabba, “the adoption of a new security strategy to the anti-terrorism fight has become acutely necessary given the grave danger that a much more prolonged insurgency portends for the socio-economic survival of our people. There are already fears that the recent upscale in violence along the Maiduguri-Damaturu corridor could be geared at cutting off this critical transportation artery and thus isolating Maiduguri from the rest of the country. The humanitarian impact in terms of the supply of food and other basic life supporting amenities can only be imagined.”
He made this call in a condolence message he sent to the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, on the recent Boko Haram attack that left more than 30 people dead and 18 vehicles burnt in Auno, a town located along Maiduguri-Damaturu Federal highway. The attack also led to the abduction of scores of children and women.
Wabba said in a letter dated February 10 that: “On behalf of my family and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, I write to commiserate with Your Excellency and the entire good people of Borno State on the recent gruesome attack by the Boko Haram terrorists at Auno Town which is twenty-four kilometers from Maiduguri metropolis along the Maiduguri – Damaturu Highway.
“This is the umpteenth time that insurgents would be attacking innocent commuters and villagers along this very important road artery in North eastern Nigeria. This attack is clearly aimed at undermining the good efforts that your administration and our security forces are making to bring the current wave of terrorism and insurgency in the North East to an end and to restore the peace.”
He said that the frequency of the attacks has laid a moral duty on the NLC to urge the government and the security forces to seriously consider adopting an entirely new approach to the fight against terrorism and insurgency, especially in a manner that would break the spinal cord of those bent on unleashing mayhem on our people, their livelihoods and our collective sanity.
“It has now become totally unacceptable to allow blood sucking marauders to operate for an uninterrupted period of up to four hours without repulsion by our security forces. We must now draw the line.”
