Insecurity: 2000 Nigerians Killed By Insurgents – CSO

A non-government group, the Civil Society Organisations has berated President Muhammadu Buhari’s led government for its inability to provide solutions to the ongoing insecurity challenges confronting the country.

Naija News reports that the CSOs stated this in a joint statement released at the end of the week with the Joint Action Civil Society Coalition, an organisation comprising 125 nongovernmental organisations.

The CSOs charged all Nigerians to register their displeasure over the spate of killings across states by participating in a series of mass actions from Monday, May 26, 2021.

Some of the CSOs, which signed the statement, are Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Development, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Community Women’s Rights Foundation and Yiaga Africa.

They also include Gender Development Initiative, Nigerian Feminists Forum, Women Youths and Children Advancement Programme and the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development.

The group also encouraged Nigerians to participate in solemn assemblies across the country to commemorate the 4th National Day of mourning and remembrance of victims of mass atrocities on May 28, 2021. They admonished citizens to boycott all Democracy Day activities on May 29, 2021, in protest against the deplorable state of the nation’s democracy.

Part of the statement read, “Following its sharp increase of 43 per cent in mass atrocities in 2020, Nigeria has continued to experience a decline in security across the nation.

“In the first quarter of 2021(January to March), we recorded an all-time quarterly high of almost 2000 fatalities from mass atrocities incidents across the country.

“This week, across the six geopolitical zones, there were escalated combustions of violence resulting in even more deaths.”

The CSOs noted that they highlighted the various forms of insecurities which were leading to loss of lives across the country, in their last joint statement issued in February 2021. According to them, some of the insecurity challenges include, the unending war in the North-East and attacks on peaceful protesters by security agents while terrorists carry out mass murder, rape, maiming and kidnapping of Nigerians including women and children.

The groups noted with concern that terrorists were being granted ‘amnesty’ and got paid by the government.

“This is tantamount to funding and supporting terrorists, encouraging murder and the decimation of Nigeria’s gallant troops and amounts to treason against the Nigerian state and people,” they added.

Meanwhile, some armed bandits have killed not less than eleven persons, while three others sustained injuries in Tsatskiya town, Safana Local Government Area of ​​Katsina State on Saturday.

It was gathered that three injured persons are receiving treatment at Dutsin-Ma General Hospital.

The attackers invaded the town around 9:30 am. There are claims that there was reprisal over the killing of their informant by the residents, Naija News reports.