From our Special Correspondent
Forum of Former Federal Lawmakers ( FFFL) has called on the federal government to set a timeline with a view to contain and wipe out the menace of Boko Haram insurgents bandits, kidnappers, secession agitators and other criminals holding the country to ransom.
In an– 18 point recommendations made available to the press signed by the leader of the Forum, Hon. Usman Mohammed Balkore, it called for an immediate end to the bloody campaign of secessionists who through blackmail, violence, incitements and assassinations are razing down public and private assets which is unacceptable.
According to the ex lawmakers ” we must criminalize ethnic profiling of crimes borrowing from the Ruwandan example.
We cannot afford to be qualifying criminals along ethnic identities which crystalizes into hate and revulsion against the groups. Criminals are criminals without distinction and we must fight them in unison”.
The Forum stated that all government actions on criminals must be firm, decisive and appropriate to deter all criminals, hostage takings and kidnappings for ransom payments must be made unattractive and the death penalty prescribed on all offenders.
It therefore called on government at all levels to brace up to avert a humanitarian catastrophy due to increased migrations of people from rural to urban centres to escape the theatres of war and violence..
The ex lawmakers then advocated for an urgent creation of jobs at all tiers of government.
The Forum strongly endorsed and advocated for community participation and mobilization to support the current war on terrorism, banditry and any form of Insurgency so as to rid the society of this threatening danger.
“Our grassroots community policing and intelligence gathering should be strengthened to protect our society. We should individually and collectively contribute logistics, vehicles and equipment to our armed personnel to boost their morale and capacities”.
Furthermore, the ex lawmakers want government to consider recalling it’s security and military reserves back to service to strengthen the existing personnel.
“The numerical strength of the armed forces should be urgently increased to correspond to the country’s size and population while the involvement of the military should be seen as an internal security matter”.
As part of their recommendations, the lawmakers want government to vigorously pursue the ranching policy to encourage sedentary pastoralism as a solution to the persistent farmers/ herders conflicts.
All stakeholders must embrace and adopt necessary engagement, education and cooperation to design peaceful transition and exit strategies for nomadic pastoralism to achieve a permanent solution.
In addition to the above, the former lawmakers posited that there is the urgent need to set special courts for the quick dispensation of justice to tackle the growing menace of kidnappings, banditry cybercrimes, Insurgency and other new form forms of crimes and also called for a state of emergency on insecurity and make sufficient appropriations to fund and modernize the security sector for efficient performance and service delivery.
It urged the National Assembly to remain a relentless partner in this campaign by revisiting all resolutions and reports on security meetings and retreats with a view to ensure their diligent implementation.
They called on the legislators to engage NEMA and other government agencies whose mandate is to ameliorate the disequilibrium caused by the prevailing security situation in the country.
