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Okwe Obi, Abuja
Twenty-three civil society organisations under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Societies for Peace and Human Rights (COCIPAH), have condemned the massive looting and burning of public and private properties, in the wake of the #EndSARS protest across the country, especially in Plateau State.
Aside appealing to Governor Simon Lalong to initiate a peace deal with the youth in order to forestall a repetition of the situation, COCIPAH, hailed the Special Military Taskforce codenamed Operation Safe Haven, (OPSH), for handling the situation processionally.
COCIPAH National Chairman, Gyang Sha, and as National Secretary, Simon Ventim, in a statement Friday, said: “We condemn in the strongest terms the recent mass looting and stealing of both government and private properties in some parts of Nigeria, particularly in Jos, Plateau State and call on law enforcement agencies to swing into action with a view to arresting the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity.
“Despite some of the shortcomings of our government to the plight of its citizens,nobody has the justification to take laws into his or her hands.
“We wish to appreciate the Nigeria Military over the restraint and show of professionalism it exhibited during and after the violent uprising in the country.
“This approach went a along way in managing the conflict and positioning our army as a democratically infused one.
“We want to particularly commend
Operation Safe Haven, the special military taskforce setup to keep peace in Plateau, Southern Kaduna and Bauchi states,for the exceptional role they played in deescalating the violent conflict in Jos.
“We were particularly worried about Jos because it is a melting point and any conflict that escalates in the state may have national consequence because of its religious and ethnic sensitivities.
“But we are pleased with the professionalism exhibited by Operation Safe Haven and other security agencies in handling the situation.
“At a point before the military came out the hoodlums and looters were operating with impunity, stealing and destroying people’s private properties unchallenged until Operation Safe Haven stepped in and saved the situation.
“They made several arrests and recovered exhibits of high magnitude. This singular act went a long way in deterring the looters who were operating initially as if there is no law in Nigeria.”
Sha added: “While we call on Governor Simon Bako Lalong to set up machinery to begin youth engagement in the state, we discovered there is a huge communication gap between the youths and governance.
“This is one of the major factors responsible for the high level of destruction in some states in Nigeria, particularly in Plateau State.”
