A Northern group has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to step up efforts to end the siege of Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers in the region.
It called on the president to device new approach in restoring peace in the troubled areas.
This is coming as bandits, suspected to be kidnappers, have killed four persons and abducted Professor Aliyu Mohammed in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The group noted that the criminal elements have grounded educational, economic and socio-political activities in the region.
It said it will take over 100 years to recover from the destruction, killings and trauma associated with insecurity in the region if the development was not brought under control now.
The group, Coalition of Northern Elders for Peace and Development, in a statement yesterday by its National Coordinator, Mr. Zana Goni, said it was time for Buhari to replace the nation’s security heads and try new hands to combat insecurity.
It also appealed to Buhari to restructure the country’s security architecture so as to give the war against insurgence a boost.
The statement added that the North is still under the siege from Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality, insisting that the ugly security situation has been under reported.
“We are concerned over this poor media coverage by the media. The inability of the service chiefs to change the game against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers threatening the continued existence of the region despite the heavy investment made by the president so far to ensure restoration of peace, is no doubt worrisome to us.
“We believe wholeheartedly too that this development is a source of great concern to all patriotic Nigerians out there.
“From what is on ground, it would take the North-east more than 100 years to recover even if the war stops today.
“As we write this to present our plight to the public, there is no school opened to academic activities in the region, except perhaps in Maiduguri metropolis of Borno State,” it explained.
It noted that farmers can’t go to farms anymore, especially in the North-east, raising concerns of severe famine if the situation is not immediately addressed.
The statement stated that economic activities have been disrupted as a result of the activities of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.
“There is equally no social activities anymore in the region as people preferably stay in their various houses now to avert being prowled on by the adversaries,” it added.
The group also hailed the appointment of Brigadier Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) as the Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) by Buhari.
“We must confess that it is the right step in the right direction because drug abuse is one of the major banes of security in the North. We know his pedigree and we are sure he would deliver on his mandate,” it said.