Southern, Middle-belt Nigerians Task Buhari On Unknown Gunmen In South-east

The Southern and Middle-Belt Alliance (SaMBA) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and all South-east governors to urgently expose and apprehend the sponsors of the “unknown gunmen” in the region.

The group in its statement issued on Monday and signed by its Spokesman, Prince Rwang Pam Jnr. asked President Buhari to take immediate steps to tackle the growing menace of violence in Anambra and the entire South-east region.

Naija News had reported that some unknown gunmen on Friday morning killed a bus driver and set the bus ablaze while enforcing the sit-at-home order of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Imo state.

Last month, some unknown gunmen were seen in a viral video on social media, disrupting a political meeting in Enugu West, vowing not to allow any election hold in ‘Biafra Land’. The armed men stormed the venue and shot sporadically as those at the meeting scampered to safety.

SaMBA, while welcoming the Nigeria Army’s plans to commence three security exercises nationwide code named ‘Golden Dawn, Enduring Peace and Still Water’, advised the soldiers to conduct these exercises with restraint and respect for human rights.

The statement reads, “Recent activities of the so-called “Unknown Gunmen” in Anambra state and the South-east in the past few weeks call for concern among peace-loving Nigerians as the Federal government has failed in its responsibility to protect lives and properties of citizens. 

“Scores of lives have been lost and government and private properties worth billions of Naira has been destroyed.

 “The right to life is a fundamental right and it’s so entrenched in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) in Sec 33, which clearly states “that every person has a right to life and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in the execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.” 

Likewise, Section 14 (2b) states that “the welfare and security of the citizens shall be the primary purpose of government.” “This government has failed in that duty and continues to fail until it fulfills its responsibility to all Nigerians.  

“It is heartbreaking that recent happenings in Anambra state and the South-east at large has breached this right.

“If the federal government cannot guarantee the security of lives of its people, which is on the Exclusive list, it is well-advised for the National Assembly to amend the Constitution and place Internal security in the concurrent list to enable governors to become effective chief security officers in their respective states. 

 “We therefore directly call on President Muhammadu Buhari to fish out the sponsors of the so-called “Unknown Gunmen” in South East and bring to them to justice without further ado.

 “We further call on the Federal government to urgently investigate allegations that the current upsurge in the criminal attacks in Anambra state has to do with the forthcoming Anambra state gubernatorial elections on November 6, 2021,” SaMBA said.