By Chukwuemeka Chimerue
LAGOS— Prominent Igbo cleric group, the Igbo Council of Christian Ministers, ICCM, has called for the resignation of military service chiefs and heads of other security agencies in Nigeria over their inability to protect lives of citizens and the heightening spate of insecurity in the country.
In a statement issued in Lagos by the National Coordinator of the group, Rev. Rowland Nwachukwu and obtained by our correspondent on Thursday, ICCM said the security situation of the country has severely worsened to an extent Fulani herdsmen held the government to ransom and monetary settlement before peace could reign.
The Federal Government had reportedly offered Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, a whooping sum of N100 billion to halt kidnappings, killings and banditry in the North.
Reacting however, ICCM stated that the gesture extended to Miyetti Allah proved that the Nigerian security chiefs has failed in their primary duties to safeguard lives of Nigerians and therefore, should immediately resign before they cause serious security risk to citizens.
“It is indeed a worrisome situation that the heads of our national security operatives have continued to look at the opposite direction and kept mum concerning the news making rounds all over the place.
“The governor of Taraba state hosted the federal government delegates led by the Minister of Interior, Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Danbazzau and others to engage the dreaded cattle herders into negotiation on how to settle them to stop killing and kidnapping Nigerians and other foreign nationals.
“This is an embarrassing situation to Nigerians all over the world. It simply means that the Fulani herdsmen have kidnapped Nigeria and therefore calling for ransom. The news is that the federal government has offered the sum of 100bn Naira but their abductors refused the offer and are demanding for 160bn Naira.
“The truth is that Nigerians can no longer continue to keep quiet, hence the question, where are our security service chiefs? Already the country is in a state of comatose.
“It is very obvious that the service chiefs have exhausted their military tactical and intelligence knowledge in the fight against insecurity and insurgency. So, it will be dangerous to continue to trust our lives and properties into their hands.
“They should resign without further delay. The federal legislators should do something fast to save this nation from its total collapse or be driven into the state of anarchy.
“Nigerians are being killed, kidnapped, women raped, communities sacked on a daily basis by these armed bandit herders and no single arrest have been made as I speak. It is a huge error to have allowed these service chiefs to remain in office after spending more than two years leading this fight without meaningful achievement or progress.
“They have failed, and should resign immediately before they become serious security risk to Nigerians,” the fearless cleric submitted.
