The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to immediately rise to their constitutional responsibilities and duties by protecting the lives and property of Nigerians.
The Forum said the federal government, particularly, the National Assembly must now accept their failure to provide the most fundamental security of life and property across the country following” the impunity of Fulani terrorists and their foreign collaborators wrecking genocidal attacks on indigenous communities across the nation and particularly in the Middle Belt region as happening currently in Benue state.”
SMBLF also condemned the plan by the federal government to establish National Forest Guards as an additional Federal Security structure in the states
After their emergency meeting, the leaders issued a communique made available to LEADERSHIP in Akure, the Ondo State capital. In it, they asked the federal government to ensure enhanced autonomy of the federating states, such that each state shall have its own independent Police Command with complementary Divisions at the Local Government and community levels.
HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan signed the communique for Afenifere, Dr. Bitrus Pogu for Middle Belt Forum, Senator John Azuta-Mbata for Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and Amb. Godknows Igali for PANDEF.
According to the communique, ‘‘All police officers from the rank of a Chief Superintendent and below should be deployed within their state of origin.. All security institutions or formations apart from the armed forces, police, civil defence and the State Security Services should be part of the security architecture of the states, more so as lands and forests are exclusive constitutional prerogatives of the federating states.”
While condemning the rituals of fire-brigade deployment of armed forces members to troubled areas across the country, SMBLF described them as ineffective and put unnecessary pressure on the military to deviate from its constitutional role of defending the nation’s territorial integrity.
The communique reads in part:” Pending full-fledged restructuring towards true federalism, governments of the states of the federation should take immediate measures to provide security for their people, like the Amotekun South West Security Network, with the full complement of weapons to face and deter insurgency and terrorism.
“These security measures are considered more effective than the current unitary architecture in a Federation, which renders Governors as Chief Security Officers of their states only in name.
“That states with prevailing culture of animal husbandry and with the assistance of the Federal Government should encourage ranching within their territories, but the SMBLF REJECTS unequivocally the re-introduction of RUGA or any other description to discriminate in acquiring land in states for private businesses as being now illegally proposed for Plateau State. It is an invitation to the occupation of indigenous people’s lands for nomadic Fulani herding families in Nigeria and beyond.’’
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