The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA has urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritize security of lives and properties of the citizens in 2024.
Expressing worries on the level of insecurity in parts of the country in 2023, the NBA president, Yakubu Maikyau, said that the situation called for proactive intervention.
Maikyau spoke in a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday.
In the statement, the NBA scribe specifically condemned the attacks leading to the deaths of over 100 people on some communities in Plateau State on Christmas Eve.
It stated that the attack could be a result of “poor intelligence gathering or a deliberate failure to act.”
It called on the president to ensure that no space is left ungoverned in the country.
The statement read, “The NBA decried the state of insecurity across the nation and condemned the December attacks by bandits on villages in Plateau State, leaving nearly 200 Nigerians dead.
“The attack in Plateau is clearly indicative of poor intelligence gathering or a deliberate failure to act despite the intelligence on the impending attacks on the villages or notice of the attack on the villages by the bandits as reported by community leaders.
“The NBA therefore urged the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to show a demonstrable commitment to prioritizing the security of the lives and properties of Nigerians.
“Government, through our Armed Forces and other security agencies, must ensure that no square inch of the Nigerian territory is left ungoverned; no part of Nigeria should be left under the control of criminal elements by whatever name so-called.
“The government must make deliberate investments in security, of such a scale and magnitude which will leave Nigerians in no doubt as to the sincerity of the statement made by the president.
“The Federal Government must adopt a holistic approach to the issue of security while not overlooking the peculiarities of each region and design bespoke measures to deal with them. In this wise, the government must neither be “scared” nor “ashamed” to make the right investments in security, in line with global trends in security, without compromising our sovereignty.”
Report has it that between May and December 2023, about 4,258 incidents of insecurity were recorded in 573 local government areas, leading to the deaths of at least 5,691 people, while 2,719 were kidnapped.
On the accidental airstrike in Kaduna, the NBA president described the incident as inexcusable and unacceptable.
The statement read that “The earlier drone strike by the military on Tudun Biri in Kaduna State which claimed the lives of over 100 Nigerians, is inexcusable and unacceptable.
“From the information made available by the military and other security sources, the Tudun Biri incident is suggestive of the gap in our security architecture—a lack of inter-agency synergy and coordination.”
The statement added, “With the passing of the 2024 budget by the National Assembly, it is now left for Mr. President to demonstrate to Nigerians that these are not mere rhetoric. Nigerians need to be reassured that their sacrifices will count for something and genuine efforts are being made to ensure that their pain and suffering will be short-lived.”
Comments