Northern Elders Blame FG For Insurgency -Leadership The convener of the Conference of Leaders and Elders of Northern Nigeria, Dr Yusuf Maitama Sule, has decried the insurgency in the north and alleged that only an irresponsible government at the centre would allow the killings of students, women and children in the north-east of Nigeria. Sule said, “In my 60 years in politics, I have not seen what I see in the north in terms of instability, insecurity and living in poverty in the midst of plenty.” Speaking at the conference organised by the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, in Kano, the chairman of NEF said that the meeting was organized to review what is happening in the north in order to address the problem of insurgency which is ravaging the region. The “Danmasani Kano” protested what is happening in the north “as if it was not the same north that lived in peace for centuries and has respect for one another’s religion, culture and tradition”. Sule criticised politicians who are going round places telling people that the Muslims in the north want to Islamize the northern region or the country, describing the action as a deliberate attempt capable of dividing the country along religious lines. “NEF should not be seen as the enemy of the federal government simply because of its stance against injustices to the north; it rather should be seen as a peacemaker and partner in progress which wants to see strict adherence to the principles of democracy,” he said. He canvassed political leaders’ adoption of the late Sardauna’s philosophy of non-discrimination against any religion or tribe and discouragement of the use of religious identity or region in seeking political favour. The NEF chairman lauded the perseverance of the past leaders who have not seen themselves as above criticism and have responded positively. He advocated religious tolerance among northerners for the good of the region and for the leaders in the region and the country at large to place national interest above personal interest for continuous peace and for both human and infrastructural development. On the occasion, the representative of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), AVM Mukhtar Muhammad, said that ACF had gone far in discussion about the unity of northern Nigeria and in ensuring that the north would speak with one voice, one youth organization and one women organization. AVM Muhammad, who is the vice chairman of the forum’s Board of Trustees, noted that ACF is concerned about anything that affects the north and the country at large. He said the situation is so dire that no nation can stand what is happening in the north, as people are dying in hundreds. In his goodwill message, the representative of Borno Elders Forum, Zanna Hassan Boguma, said the current security challenge in the north-east has created a situation where an entire community is wiped out and places of worship are destroyed without recourse to even women, children and the elderly. It cannot be linked to any religion considering its barbaric nomenclature, he stated. “As for those of us that are from Borno, we have seen hell. Our people are constantly decimated, especially in the last few weeks. Our towns and villages razed, properties destroyed, schools and places of worship burnt and even innocent travellers were not spared,” he said. According to him, the whole matter has nothing to do with the claimed intention of a section imposing their will on the others, or the issue of Sharia, or making the country ungovernable for the president, or even a religious war as the insurgents want it to look. The most surprising thing about what is happening in the north-east, he stated, is the continued silence of the federal government and the deliberate non-implementation of the reports of Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar and that of Gaji Galtimari, among others. No meaningful effort has been made by the federal government since the start of insurgency which killed hundreds and destroyed settlements of thousands of citizens of the country, he said. Only the state government provides relief and moral support to victims of Boko Haram attacks, he added. Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmad, in his keynote address, noted the major setback suffered by the National Conference idea: having its output submitted to the National Assembly without referendum and its timing so close to election, but President Jonathan insisted it had to go ahead. Ahmad faulted the list of delegates, as it is setting the north against the south and is offending Nigerian Muslims with roughly 198 delegates, while Christians have 294. It is offending Christians in the north-west, Muslims in Plateau State and the north-central zone and so on, he stated. Ahmad asked the delegates to challenge the composition at the start of the conference and if their request is denied they should walk out of the conference. He held that if the north had strong, cohesive and visionary leadership today, no one would dare design a conference that so blatantly offends all indices of justice and fairness. Yobe school killings: APC insists Jonathan must visit Yobe Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has again called on President Jonathan to take time off his premature electioneering to visit Yobe State to commiserate with the bereaved families of the innocent schoolchildren who were brutally murdered by terrorists last month. In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its interim national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it is totally inconceivable that, about two weeks after the heart-wrenching killings of more than 29 schoolchildren, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has not deemed it fit to visit the state. It said far from being a mere formality, such a visit will provide great succour to the families of the victims, reassure them and other residents of the state that their government has not abandoned them to their fate, and also serve as a morale booster for our gallant troops who are battling the terrorists, against all odds. ‘’There is no other democracy in the world in which that number of schoolchildren would be killed and the head of government would carry on with business as usual. Since the killings, President Jonathan has made a national broadcast in which he mentioned the killings only as a footnote, instead of making it the central point of the broadcast. ‘’Since the killings, the president has presided over a wasteful national celebration, in which the drums were rolled out to mark the country’s centenary even as devastated families were still mourning and those injured were reeling from their pains. ‘’Since the killings, President Jonathan has been gallivanting across the country, surreptitiously kick-starting his electioneering campaign for 2015 under the guise of receiving some inconsequential political jobbers now wearing the tag of defectors. This junketing has taken the president everywhere, including Sokoto, Minna, Ilorin and Onitsha. But he has pointedly avoided Yobe. To put it mildly, the father of the nation has been practically dancing on the graves of those innocent souls. This is not the stuff of leadership and the president must make amends by visiting Yobe today,’’ APC said. The party said President Jonathan should take a cue from what obtains in other lands, especially in the US after which Nigeria has modelled its democracy. FG wants secret trial of Boko Haram suspects The federal government has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to grant an order for the secret trial of three men charged with having links with the Boko Haram sect. A counsel in the office of the attorney-general of the federation, Mrs N.B Jones Nebo, in a motion told the court that the secret trial was necessary to protect the identity of its witnesses. The three accused persons – Mohammed Yunus, a university lecturer with Kogi State University; Musa Umar; and Salami Abdullahi – were arraigned on an eight-count charge bordering on terrorism. They were arrested in October 2013 for allegedly holding various meetings aimed at planning to carry out insurgency across the country. They have been remanded in prison custody. Justice Gabriel Kolawole denied them bail last week after they applied for it through their counsel. Nebo also said that the prosecution’s motion was brought pursuant to the provisions of sections 33 and 34 of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013, as amended, and Section 115 of the Evidence Act. Mr Hassan Liman, Mr James Ocholi and Mr Abdul Mohammed, counsel to the first, second and third accused, however, opposed the prosecution’s application in separate counter-affidavits. They also prayed the court to discountenance the said application for lacking merit and being incompetent. After listening to the arguments of the lawyers to the parties, Jusice Kolawole adjourned the case to March 18 for ruling on the prosecution’s application. Gunmen attack Islamic College in Bauchi Unknown gunmen yesterday night attacked the A D Rufa’i College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau in Bauchi State. A source close to the college told LEADERSHIP last night that about 12 gunmen forced their way into the school at about 11. 30pm and opened fire on the students Though details of the incident were sketchy, the number of casualties and injured students could not be ascertained at press time.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 06:19:28 +0000
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