The Apex Socio-cultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed shock over the Monday terrorists’ attack on Kaduna/Abuja train, describing it and the continuous attacks on the region’s town, villages and highways as unacceptable as they have the region under siege.
The Forum however stated that as custodian of the welfare and integrity of the North, it is tired of crying out on the issue of security and other challenges bedevilling the region.
ACF in a statement issued by its Secretary-General, Malam Murtala Aliyu, therefore called on the Federal and State Governments to as a matter of urgency revisit their security architecture with a view to protecting the lives and property of Nigerians as the current security architecture has failed.
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The Forum lamented that banditry and terrorism have excised the North and the major economic activities of North East, Northwest with a new ploy to block Kaduna which is the main gateway to the northern part of the country.
As a way of preventing such blockage, the forum, therefore, called on the government to put 24-hour surveillance on Kaduna-Abuja Highway.
The statement titled, ‘North is under Seige’, reads in parts;
“The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has received with shock the tragic incidence in which passengers lost their lives, with the where about of the abducted yet to be ascertained, as a result of an attack on the Abuja-Kaduna bound train, on Monday, 28th of March. 2022.
“The Forum commiserate with the souls lost, sympathises with the wounded and prays for an end to such ugly menace, not only in Kaduna State but all over the federation.
“As a guardian and custodian of the welfare and integrity of the North, the ACF is tired of crying out on the issue of security, and other challenges, in the northern part of the country.
“It is curious that a train carrying almost 1000 (one thousand) passengers be exposed to the kind of situation we found, on the fateful Monday evening, without any precautionary measures taken. It would be recalled that, some few months ago, there was a blast on the same route, and the government promise on taking a concrete measure to avert any future occurrence, is yet to materialise.
“Moreover, the fact that both air and rail systems, out of Kaduna, have been compromised, it is to be expected that a sensitive government should protect the only route (Kaduna/Abuja highway). The ACF has described, as unacceptable, the frequency of such attacks on our towns and villages, highways and now train tracks and airports.
“Currently, banditry and terrorism have excised the North and the major economic activities of northeast, northwest, with a new ploy to block the main gateway (Kaduna State), to the northern part of the country. It regrets that, despite all efforts claimed by security agencies and governments, at various levels, have been unable to put an end to such banditry and terrorism.
“After all, nearly all necessary equipment to do this are said to have been acquired, especially, the fighter planes, recurrent recruitments of security personnel, etc.
The Forum calls on the federal and state governments to, as a matter of urgency, revisit their security architecture in the protection of lives and properties, as the current one seems to have failed.
“The ACF cautions on what it terms unnecessary attacks that stretch our security and economic services in the country. One can, easily, recall how the lives and economy of the Borno, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, and Kaduna (Birnin Gwari and Southern parts of Kaduna), were damaged, and are now, taking their turn on the infrastructure.
“The Arewa Consultative Forum calls on the government to put 24-hour surveillance on the route to at least avert the ugly situations occurring. ACF equally, prevails on the AZMAN and Air Peace airlines to have a rethink over their resolve to suspend flights to Kaduna International Airport. Such action contributes, negatively, to the resolving of the problems.
“According to the ACF, the tolerance of the Northern population shall by now, been exhausted, as all their economic activities have been grounded and been left in perpetual fear.
“The Arewa Consultative Forum, however, called on its people, to remain positive and law-abiding, not to relent in their resilience and hope towards making lives better for its people”.
