•NLC demands drastic action to end bloodletting
Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has described the recent killings in Zamfara villages by terrorists as nothing but satanic.
National Secretary of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, stated this in a statement issued yesterday.
Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has asked the federal government, to take very drastic steps to bringing an end to the current orgy of bloodletting, destruction of property and displacement of people in the country.
The APC, while expressing its heartfelt condolences to the families that lost their loved ones and also commiserated with the government and people of Zamfara state, assured the people that the killings in Zamfara state and elsewhere would not go unpunished.
Akpanudoedehe said, “The All Progressives Congress (APC) is deeply pained and condemns the recent killings of innocent Nigerians in their villages in Zamfara State by criminal gangs, also known as bandits.
“Indeed, the recent designation of these satanic, evil and criminal elements as terrorist groups will further buoy our security services to deal with them as such and ultimately, contain their nefarious activities in the country.”
The ruling party commended the military and other security services, whose concerted onslaught on the camps of the criminals was ensuring the rescue of kidnapped citizens and neutralising the criminal elements.
The party noted that already, the terrorists had begun to flee as troops clearance operations had forced their dislodgement from their enclaves, urging Nigerians to watch out and report any suspicious movement.
The NLC, while reacting to the recent massacre of some villagers in Anka and Bukkuyum Local Government Areas of Zamfara State, said there should be rapid response to such crisis situations by the security forces.
A statement signed by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, condemned the wickedness and inhumanity of terrorists, saying government should take drastic action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The federal government must take very drastic steps to bring a firm closure to the current ogre of bloodletting, destruction of property and displacement of Nigerians.
“We commend the gallantry and sacrifice of our soldiers and other armed services personnel in the current war against terrorists. We ask that our military step up on the onslaught against criminal elements, who have vowed to make life a living hell for innocent Nigerians,” he said.
Wabba said the deployment of proactive intelligence, active surveillance and hi-tech weaponry would be useful in combating and conquering the new strain of barbarism and desperation being exhibited by the terrorists and urged that strong military presence should be established to protect vulnerable villages especially, after bombardments.
While faulting the responses of security agents to emergency security situations like the what happened in Zamfara villages, Wabba said the fact that terrorists went on a bloody prowl for nearly 48 hours unchecked does not speak well of the emergency capabilities of our security system.
He said: “The way security forces respond to emergency situations is a measure of the premium placed on the lives of Nigerians – whether 58 or 200. We call on our security agents to intensify manhunt for the criminal elements and terrorists that perpetrated the recent pogrom in Anka and Bukkuyum Local Government Areas of Zamfara and either bring them to justice or take justice to them.
“We also call on the relevant agencies of government to ensure that relief materials are immediately dispatched to families displaced by this attack. Finally, the findings from the recent NLC Security Summit and Social Protection Roundtable show that bombs and bullets alone will not win the war on terrorism and secure the peace.
“We urge government at all levels to fix the social dislocations at the root of deteriorating security situation in our country. Government should prioritize the creation of decent jobs for our youths, extension of social security cover to vulnerable Nigerians, promotion of the rule of law and institutionalization of good governance. The foregoing issues are the fulcrum of the Charter of Demands by Nigerian Workers.”
