Group urges stakeholders to find lasting solution to Benue killings
NAN-H-89
Solution
By Dorcas Jonah
Abuja, Jan. 10, 2018 (NAN) Community Development Coalition (CDC), an Abuja based advocacy group of concerned indigenes of Benue, on Wednesday called on stakeholders to find lasting solution to the incessant killings in Benue.
Prof. Yima Sen, Leader of the group, who made the call at a news conference held in Abuja on the Benue killings, said that the incident was one too many that must be stopped.
He listed the stakeholders to include the Federal, state and local governments, security agencies, political leaders, community leaders, religious leaders and other concerned groups.
Sen said that the deployment of the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police to the state by the Federal Government was laudable but not the solution.
According to him, the relocation of the I-G to Benue, is not new to me.
“It only reminds me of the deployment of all service chiefs to Borno.
“I am waiting to see what will happen, if something comes out of it, fine, but I think that all concerned stakeholders must come together and find a holistic approach to solving the problem.
“Thinking that the security agencies alone can deal with this problem is not true, I am speaking from the experience of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North east.
“We need to have a multi sector approach to this problem where different people from different fields come together to find lasting solution to this problem,’’ he said.
Sen said that the group was a citizen driven initiative that emerged in response to the incessant attacks, with the objective of ensuring that the perpetrators are not only identified but brought to book.
He said the group would ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice as well as ensure security and protection of the citizens of the state.
Sen said the group would in the short term interface with traditional and political leadership at various levels within and outside Benue to launch a people oriented movement for the following objectives:
“Full implementation of the open grazing prohibition law. We will do all that is legally possible and humanly permissible to ensure that this law takes its fullest course.
“To interrogate the leadership question at local, sub-national and national levels with a view to identifying and promoting the overall political, economic and development interest of the state.
“To ensure the emergence of a robust, reliable and sustainable community driven defence and security system,” he said.
He appealed to the security agencies to be up and doing in the discharge of their constitutional responsibility in protecting the lives and property of the citizens.(NAN)
DE/AFA
Edited by Felix Ajide
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