“Amnesty should be modified in such a manner that those deserving of it are assisted by society while capital punishment must be meted out to the convicted assassins, kidnappers, armed robbers, killer herdsmen, Boko Haram members, bandits and hoodlums”
The Coalition for A Better Nigeria in its 2012 goodwill message has task the Buhari’s administration to redouble its effort as it enters the second and final phase of it two-term in office.
In a press statement signed by the National Coordinator, Comrade AWA Bamiji, the group reasoned with Nigerians that the year 2020 had truly been tasking especially in the area of security and called on the Buhari administration to take the pre-emptive action to checkmate terrorism.
“We have been facing serious security challenges in Nigeria for a long period. For instance, the Boko Haram insurgency sprang up in 2009 while kidnappings, killings, maiming, farmers and Fulani Herdsmen crisis became rampant after the advent of this democratic experiment. Regrettably, rather than nipping these in the bud, successful administrations, all seemed powerless against the menace on ascension to power, allowing these vices to increase year in, year out, until power exchanges hands shifting a renewed hope of victory in a new government”
The group said that the increase in criminalities in the country can be traced to government refusal to deal decisively with criminality as stipulated by our laws.
“We are yet to witness conviction of any major criminal but we are shocked by the kind of amnesty the Federal Government is giving to so-called repented members of Boko Haram sect which have continued to serve as an encouragement for others that are still involving in the crime. How can we now expect a drastic fall in the trend of insurgency with this?”
The statement advised the government to take a look at the possibility of sabotage by some personnel in the armed forces and the civil services and it warned that the issue of amnesty must not be politicised or ethnicised because the enemies of the state are not relenting in pursuit of their destructive aims;
“They have (have access to) sophisticated foreign ammunition while the Federal Government sometimes encounters barrier in its several attempts to buy similar or more sophisticated weapons from world powers according to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed and we think, there won’t be cause and effect, in terms of taking a longer time than expected to square them up on the field?”
The statement, therefore, advised the government to set a deterrent position by ensuring that the guilty are punished and those deserving of pardon be rescued and assisted;
“Amnesty should be modified in such a manner that those deserving of it are assisted by society while capital punishment must be melted out to the convicted assassins, kidnappers, armed robbers, killer herdsmen, Boko Haram members, bandits and hoodlums”
Despite these, the group gave kudos to Nigerian security apparatuses for a good outing during the year under review.
“We give kudos to the Nigerian military for the successful rescue of over 300 Kidnapped Students of all-boys Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, within few days of abduction and serious bombardment of Sambisa forest which led to the killing of an uncountable number of dreaded Boko Haram members”
Overall, the group commended the administration for living up to its promise of a better economic environment during the electioneering campaigns but reminded it that Nigerian are saying he ought to do better.
“Security, Economy and Corruption are the 3 Cardinal Programme upon which President Buhari led Federal Government based its electioneering Campaign both in 2015 and 2019 and understandably, it is doing its best up till now but Nigerians are saying your best is not enough for now and therefore, doubling your efforts is the only way out as from 2021 in order to meet their yearnings and expectations of the masses more than before reasonably.
The Coalition for a Better Nigeria is a nationwide mass movement of Nigerian youths with strong affiliations and relationships across party lines and personalities.
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