- Bemoans insecurities in Northern Nigeria.
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has distanced self from the ongoing protests to scrap the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of Nigeria Police, asking the government to rather focus on complete reform of police.
Kogi State Coordinator of CNG, Idris Yakubu, who disclosed this during a peaceful and warning protest in Lokoja on Thursday said there is need for government to attend to insecurities in Northern Nigeria for the region to witness more development.
Yakubu added that “it is time to empower the Nigeria Police, take good care of them so that they can perform in line with the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Government should give power, increase their pay and do everything possible to make sure that they take care of security issues in this country. Those that have money takes care of their own security but what of we the masses, yet we have government. So we are here saying to the Federal and State Governments to ensure that insecurities in Kogi State, North Central and in Northern Nigeria come to an end.
“We are doing peaceful protest now and we are not threatening but if this does not stop in earnest, when we come out next time, may be it will be worse than what #EndSARS protesters are doing now.
“We from Northern Nigeria are not in support of #EndSARS protest, what we want is reform, total reform of the police. What want is that government should help the security agencies to be more strengthened so that they can bring insecurity in Kogi State, in the North and in Nigeria to a halt, we are tired of it.”
The Youth Coordinator of the Group in Kogi State, Comrade Noah Agada stressed the need for both state and federal governments to partner with security agencies in a bid to end series of insecurity challenges witnessing in the Northern Nigeria.
Comrade Agada noted that the newly formed SWAT Unit must be given proper orientation and training to lead a civil Nigerian which he believed would encourage peace in the country.
“We have come to say no to kidnappings, raping, banditry and every other menace occurring in the North, if we have ended SARS and now have SWAT, we call on the federal to give them the necessary training and orientation to protect every Nigerian. It should not be police of oppression, brutality or any negative form, but police should be our friends and to secure lives and properties.”
Earlier, the North Central Coordinator of CNG, Comrade Mohammed Eneji asked that the newly formed SWAT team be deployed to major areas where insecurities is rampant.
“We are to press against serious crisis that is rocking Northern Nigeria, we are here to say no to insecurity in Kogi State and in the entire north in general.
“We are here to protest the incessant kidnappings along Okene-Lokoja road, we are aware of the killings that just took place in Kotonkarfe in Kogi State.We are aware of several systematic killings that is happening within the state and outside.
“From the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) to add our voice for the Federal Government to ensure that after ending SARS, we now have what we call SWAT and we are saying that SWAT should kickoff and start work immediately. We need to start functioning and please they should deploy them to places where insecurities is more germane.
“We are aware of the killings in North Eastern Nigeria, the killing of the Boko Haram is still ongoing, banditry in the North Western states, we feel that if the Government is a listening one, we feel that after ending SARS, we should go straight to ending insecurity in the nation.
“Any state that is not secure, there cannot be prosperity, peace and progress in those states, for such reason, we are saying government must employ every strategies to ensure there’s maximum security in the country, we want them to give the listening ears they gave to the #EndSARS protest to insecurity not only in the North but across the Federation.”
