The Plateau State branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, says the establishment of State Police will assist in nipping in the bud the incessant killings in the state.
The four branches of NBA in the state also called on the federal government to train and allow communities to defend themselves against the invaders.
The magazine reported that suspected Fulani herdsmen had attacked the state in recent weeks leaving many people dead and dozens homeless.
Not a few Nigerians have condemned they attack as they called on the government and security agencies to protect lives and property, while other prominent Nigerians such as Gen Theophilus Danjuma (rtd.) says the killings will end only when communities arm themselves and confront the criminals.
The Chairman of Jos Branch of the NBA, Leah Hassan made the call on Tuesday on behalf of the four NBA branches, barely few hours after the Governor of the state, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang said the attackers’ target is to grab the land belonging to the indigenes.
The National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu is billed to visit the state, and is expected to meet with stakeholders on how to end the killings.
According to Hassan, the NBA is seriously pained over the attack on two communities of Bassa and Bokkos by the terrorists, saying the senseless killings have shattered the peace of the state and left the residents in a state of horror.
She described the killings as a premeditated attacks urging security agencies to rise up to their duty by ensuring that nothing of such happen again.
Describing the attacks as a “direct assault on our shared humanity, the rule of law, and the fundamental right to life as enshrined in our Constitution,” the NBA said the situation should no longer be “treated with indifference or vague promises.”
Hassan: “The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Branches on the Plateau are deeply saddened and pained by the recent spate of violent attacks in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas of Plateau State, which have claimed numerous innocent lives and left many others injured, displaced, traumatised, and grieving.
“It is utterly heart-wrenching that while Plateau State is yet to recover from the horror and pain of previous attacks, our peace is once again shattered by another wave of senseless and barbaric killings. These acts of violence are a direct assault on our shared humanity, the rule of law, and the fundamental right to life as enshrined in our Constitution.
“The reaction of the Nigerian Bar Association is adequately captured by the President of the Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, calling on the Government to rise to its responsibility of safeguarding and protecting the lives of citizens. We adopt in totality the President’s address, calling on the Government to uphold the tenets of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly the right to life.
“The continued bloodletting in Plateau State, under the guise of communal crises, must no longer be treated with indifference or vague promises. The slogan should no longer be “Enough is enough,” but “This is enough – let’s stand up and take action.”
“The four branches of the NBA commend the actions taken so far by the State Government, and further call on the State and Federal Governments to take comprehensive and proactive steps to forestall future occurrences of these genocidal attacks on the people of Plateau State.
“This is not a communal clash as stated by some individuals in society, but an intentional attack to wipe out helpless citizens sleeping in their homes at night by wicked men who have no regard for human lives. We cannot continue to be silent in the face of these barbaric and evil acts of killing innocent citizens and taking over their ancestral lands, making them strangers in their own homes.
“We demand the immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution of the perpetrators of these wicked acts, that all perpetrators who are arrested be prosecuted in Plateau State and not taken to Abuja, where we no longer hear anything about them again, suggesting that they have been released, that the Federal Government should deploy adequate security personnel to vulnerable communities with clear mandates for community protection.”
She insisted, “States should be allowed to establish State Police who will be armed with weapons to defend our communities, the establishment of a conflict resolution and early warning mechanism through collaboration with community leaders, civil society, and security stakeholders.
“Communities be allowed to defend themselves, the Federal Government empowers vulnerable communities with self-defense mechanisms and equipment since the current security personnel are not enough to secure our lives, and provision of relief and rehabilitation materials be made for affected persons, particularly women and children, and resettlement of displaced communities be done within the shortest possible time.’
Speaking during an event in Taraba state two days ago, Danjuma, a former Defence Minister said he was surprised that his call, in the past, for self-defence had been largely ignored.
“The warning I gave some years ago is still as valid today as it was then. Nigerians must rise and defend themselves,” he said.
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