The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has condemned the renewed wave of violence in Plateau State where over 100 people were killed in one week by suspected Fulani militias in Bokkos and Bassa local government areas, describing the killings as a “national disgrace and a clear failure of governance.”
The Coalition, in a press release on Thursday signed by its National Coordinator, Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, expressed outrage over the killings and displacement of thousands by the marauders, and called on authorities and security agencies to apprehend the culprits and bring them to book.
In the emotion-laden statement, Charangi said it was heartbreaking that the people of the state will continue suffering and burying their young children and women whenever the bandits strike.
“We are tired of burying our children, mothers, and elders while the government looks the other way. Plateau’s agony is Nigeria’s shame,” Charanchi said.
The group insisted that the massacre is a reflection of the failure of governance.
“The recent massacre in Plateau State, where over 100 lives were brutally cut short, represents a grotesque failure of governance.
“These killings are not isolated. They form part of a broader pattern of insecurity spanning Boko Haram terrorism in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and ethno-religious violence in the North-Central.”
The group also accused the Nigerian government of inaction and demanded “urgent, decisive steps to stop the bloodshed,” while calling for the immediate deployment of reinforced security personnel to flashpoints across Plateau State and other northern regions facing similar threats.
The CNG also condemned President Bola Tinubu’s foreign travels during the crisis, likening the President’s actions to “Nero fiddling while Rome is burning.”
“The government’s tepid response has emboldened killers. If the government cannot protect its people, it has no legitimacy.
“We demand a brutal efficiency in dismantling terror networks, arresting and prosecuting attackers and their sponsors, and overhauling the nation’s security framework.
“CNG urge the military to launch sustained offensives against violent groups in Plateau, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and the North-East. Citizens are tired of empty condolences and must begin to see tangible results. Nigeria’s future, the group said, depends on ending the cycle of violence,” the group added.
© Ripples Nigeria