How FG can tackle renewed killings in North –NEF

• It will take political will to stop killings in M-Belt –MBF

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna and Vincent Kalu, Lagos

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has proffered some solutions to how the Federal Government could tackle renewed killings in the North, particularly in the Benue and Plateau States axis.

There have been renewed killings by terrorists in major parts of Benue and Plateau states, the North Central region of the country. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had since tasked security agencies to bring all the culprits to book and ensure lasting solution to the security challenges across the country.

However, in a chat with Saturday Sun, the Spokesman of NEF, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said: “We need to deepen understanding of the causes of these conflicts. To do this, leadership must rid itself of inherent prejudices and stereotyping and involve all stakeholders in building peace.

“Federal and state governments should be more actively involved in reducing access to weaponry by communities.

“Military and intelligence agencies must be encouraged to get more involved and assume pro-active measures to de-escalate the security challenges. “Land use practices and legislation should be revisited. Culprits should be prosecuted. No government should be seen to get involved in taking sides.

“All Northern governors must assume responsibility for peace in the North now.” Meanwhile the Middle belt Forum (MBF), has said what is needed to tackle the insecurity in the North Central Zone is the political will of the Federal Government.

MBF president, Dr. Bitrus Pogu said insecurity in the region has lingered because the last government of former President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the political will to take action.

“If there is a political will and the president says, ‘go and deal with the situation’, it would be dealt with because locations of these terrorists are known, how they come in to the country is also known; even we the local people have security information, sometimes we know that they are coming.

“If there was a political will from the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the situation wouldn’t have been this bad,” Pogu said.

He stressed: “Solving the security challenge in the region requires political will so that the government would not allow foreigners from Mali, Niger, Chad and other West African countries to come and occupy Nigeria’s land and dispossess the natives of their ancestral land.”