A coalition of Northern youth groups under the umbrella of Coalition Against Killings In Northern Nigeria (CAKIN) and the Northern Groups Coalition (NGC) have asked the federal government to stop the massive killings and raiding of communities in the north by bandits and the Boko Haram insurgents.
In separate statements issued on Monday in Kaduna, they decried the deplorable security situation in the north and demanded the immediate removal of service chiefs.
The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the situation to act fast to safe the maiming and destructions of lives and property.
CAKIN in its statement gave a 14-day ultimatum to federal government to stop the killings in the entire states of the north, warning that it would be left with no option than to mobilize citizens to take to streets until the government is completely shutdown.
The group lamented that five years into President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the security situation had continued to escalate, leading to massive killings and destructions.
Their statement was signed by Isa Abubakar (Northern Youth Council of Nigeria), Yerima Shettima (Arewa Youth Consultative Forum), Yusufu Amoke (Northern Anti Corruption Front), Mohammed Danlami (Arewa Youth Assembly) and Murtala Abubakar (Joint Action Committee of Northern Youth Association) among others.
The group declared that Buhari has failed Nigerians who gave him massive support, believing that as a retired military general, he had the capacity to tackle
the security challenges bedevilling the country.
“It is on a sad note that this coalition wishes to remind the federal government and government at all levels, that the primary responsibility of government anywhere particularly the one that was democratically elected by voters is to protect the lives and property of citizens.
“Recall that, Nigerians particularly Northerners voted President Muhammad Buhari enmass to power in 2015 in anticipations that as a former military head of state, and a retired General he is positioned to deal decisively with all forms of threats to the security of our people, particularly challenges of Boko Haram that had caused hardship and unprecedented destruction of lives and economic activities.
“Alas, five years into President Muhammad Buhari’s tenure instead of reducing insecurity, it has escalated thereby exposing great numbers of our people to avoidable deaths and loss of property in a manner that history has never witnessed before, ” the CAKIN said.
It maintained that “as patriotic citizens, it is our constitutional duty to raise voices and call attention to the killings that is taking place across states of the Northern regions on a daily basis and mobilize citizens on how to constructively engage government at all levels and make demands to end the killings.
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