Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar
The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday told the Federal Government that Nigerians have a right to express their feelings over the spate of killings in the country, especially in the north, Vanguard has reported.
While lambasting security agencies, JNI decried the lackadaisical attitude in the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country, saying they seemed to be overwhelmed by the problem.
Its statement came against the backdrop of attacks on the convener of Northern Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi and some Arewa youth groups who expressed reservations over government’s inability to stop the orgy of killings in the north earlier this week.
JNI said: JNI’s position was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, titled ‘’Nigeria’s perilous security challenge: Enough of condemnations, government must take decisive action, stop the rhetoric.”
The statement read: “The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and JNI’s President-General, is in utter shockwave over the unfortunate repeated incidents of loss of precious lives and wanton destruction of property arising from well-coordinated attacks of armed bandits, Boko Haram terrorist groups and rapists.
“These repeated calamitous scenarios would have been avoided had the government risen to the occasion. We, nonetheless, as always, condemn the repeated brutal acts in their entirety; especially the lackadaisical attitude of relevant security agencies that seemed to be overwhelmed, despite repeated calls by concerned and well-meaning Nigerians for a decisive action.
The US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo in a statement on the twitter handle of the U.S Mission, Nigeria @USEmbassyAbuja, also condemned the recent killings of a pastor and his pregnant wife in Taraba State.
The statement read: “We condemn the recent/ senseless and/ brazen killings of civilians in northern Nigeria. In recent weeks, suspected/ ISIS West Africa/ militants launched multiple attacks in Borno State, killing more than 120 civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.
“On June 9, unidentified armed bandits attacked a village in Katsina State, killing dozens. These horrific crimes follow the shooting of a pastor and his pregnant wife on June 1 and the killing of an imam, local village head, and several civilians on June 5 in the course of inter-communal violence in Taraba State.
“Tens of thousands of civilians have lost their lives in Nigeria in recent years to violent attacks by terrorist groups or criminal gangs, in inter-communal violence, or due to their religious beliefs.
“The United States calls on the government of Nigeria to do more to strengthen ongoing efforts to address this violence, hold those responsible accountable and protect civilians.”
