Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condemned the attack on Auno, a town in Borno State, by Boko Haram terrorists, saying that the military was not being proactive in the fight against the insurgents. The Forum has called for a probe into the attack.
The insurgents had killed 30 commuters plying the road in Auno community of Borno State on Sunday.
The ACF said the Auno attack and similar carnages could have been avoided had the military heeded its appeal to always be proactive, employ professionalism and sound strategy in the war against terror.
The Forum urged the military to restructure its security architecture in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents in the northeastern of the country.
NCF National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim-Biu stated this in Kaduna on Thursday.
The statement by the ACF’s spokesman read:
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) is saddened and pained by the gruesome killing of innocent passengers that were locked out at Auno village on Damaturu-Maiduguri road few kilometres away from Maiduguri by Boko Haram terrorists on Monday. Media reports indicated that many lives were lost and vehicles burnt with innocent commuters inside and property worth millions of Naira destroyed. This dastardly act by the Boko Haram terrorists on commuters and villagers was callous, barbaric and condemnable.
“ACF had on several occasions appealed to the Military and Security Agencies to be proactive, employ professionalism and strategy in the war against terrorism in order to avoid colossal damages.
“The Auno massacre by the terrorists could have been avoided if the necessary security measures were observed. This unfortunate incident and many others that have occurred on the Damaturu-Maiduguri road recently has placed commuters plying the road in a state of fear and despair.
“ACF, therefore, urges the Military and other security agencies to restructure their security architecture in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast and other parts of the country and stem out the menace of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups that have continued to mitigate our peaceful coexistence and development.”
The northern body further appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that its commitment to the security of lives and property of Nigerians was honoured to the latter in order to assuage the persistent fears of citizens.
It also urged the Federal Government to ensure that adequate equipment and logistics are provided to the troops in the front line of the counterinsurgency to adequately confront the terrorists.
“ACF urges the Federal Government to thoroughly investigate the immediate and remote causes of this unfortunate incident and many more that have destroyed many lives and property of innocent people with a view to putting a stop to it.
“ACF equally calls on the communities to cooperate and share intelligence with the Security Agencies in order to make the fight against Boko Haram terrorists a success.
“ACF extends its condolences and empathy to the families of those who lost their loved ones in the terrorist attack at Auno, the government and people of Borno State over this sad and unfortunate incident,” declared ACF.