A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has raised the alarm over the dangerous slide to anarchy in the country and government’s disconnection with the plight of the people.
A statement that was issued by the coalition yesterday titled “Nigeria on the Brink; Nigerians Must Rally to Rescue It,” expressed serious concern about the country’s speedy slide into anarchy, government’s total disconnection from the people and its glaring incompetence in the face of ravaging insecurity that has enveloped the land.
The statement, which was jointly signed by the Executive Director for Rule of Law and Advocacy Center (RULAAC), Mr. Okechukwu Nwangwuma, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Mr. Chido Onuma, Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE), Mr. Abdulrahman Akindele Ayuba, and Public Enlightenment Projects (PEP), Ms. Lilian Ezenwa, among others, said that terrorist groups, bandits and armed herders have taken over the land and enjoying a free reign in virtually every state as they kidnap, commit rape, attack communities, kill people and destroy farm lands without any serious opposition from government or its securities outfits.
It listed challenges afflicting the nation, which included rising insecurity erosion of value system, economic mismanagement, growing inequalities and inefficient public infrastructure.
Others include poor conflict resolution, lack of mitigation strategies, violent repressive tactics by state security agents fueling an atmosphere of fear and human rights violations and abuses
The group stated that “based on the Acting IGP’s reckless and dangerous utterances and directives to police officers to disregard the code of conduct and rules of engagement, we hereby convey our opposition to his confirmation as substantive IGP.
“We call on the police council and the senate to muster the courage to decline the confirmation of Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba as substantive IGP.
“He is unfit and unsuitable to be appointed to head a country’s lead security agency. He is indeed a threat to public safety and security,” it said.
The coalition also called for for an independent investigation into the allegation that the five men arrested at Orji, Owerri, Imo State, after the criminals had operated and disappeared are members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (POB).
“The police must present credible evidence that they are members of IPOB involved in any legally recognisable crime or immediately free them with apologies.
“We call for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest of no less than 107 residents of Owerri Imo State who were also alleged to be the IPOB’s members and arraigned on the preposterous allegation of attempts to overthrow President Buhari and Governor Hope Uzodinma.
“We also call for investigations into all other killings in Imo State by both the military and police and an end to predatory policing tactics,” it said.
The coalition advised government to prioritise dialogue and liaise with civil society, traditional, religious and community leaders and leaders of town unions and socio-political and cultural organisations as well as leaders of the aggrieved groups to convene joint stakeholders’ dialogues in the states and zones to discuss, design and implement workable solutions to insecurity.