Group wants FG to end incessant killings in Zamfara, Benue

The Civil Society Joint Nigeria Crisis Action Committee has called on the Federal Government to be proactive in stopping incessant killings in Zamfara, Benue, Kaduna and other parts of the country.
The Convener of JN-CAC, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, made the call at a news conference to announce National Day of Mourning and Remembrance for all victims of violent killings on Monday in Abuja.
Odinkalu, who is the former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, said the frequency of killings in recent times was a source of grave concern to citizens and all people who wish Nigeria well.
According to him, from Abia to Zamfara, Nigerians wakeup daily to fresh news of mass atrocities, which are barely acknowledged by the government and a vast majority of fellow citizens.
He said:“In the first 70 days of 2018, over 1,400 persons were killed violently across the country, an average of nearly 40 per state and the Federal Capital Territory.
“In part of the North-West, including Southern Kaduna, Birnin-Gwari and much of Zamfara state, vast swathes of ungoverned territory have been takeover by rustlers, bandits and vigilantes whose preferred currency is blood.
“The Southern states of the country have not been spared as at least 34 out of 36 states have experience at least one episode of violent killings within the first quarter of 2018.
“As a result of all these, the number of out-of-school children has grown in the past decade from by nearly one-third from about 10 million to over 13 million now.
“As citizens and advocates, we demand that this dehumanisation of Nigerian lives must stop.”
He urged the political leaders to provide responsive leadership that would guarantee the safety of lives and property of citizens and advised citizens to unite and see themselves as victims of insecurity.
He, however, said that JN-CAC would launch the ‘National Day of Mourning’, as a set of activities for remembrance, solidarity and awakening to the challenges of insecurity.
Odinkalu added that the national day of mourning, which was scheduled to hold on May 28, would be marked by a series of symbolic actions.
He, therefore, requested all Nigerians to wear black on May 28, or at least a black band, or black ribbons as a symbol of solidarity for all victims of violent killings.
He said: “Our intention is that through these actions, we as a nation will rekindle our sense of unity by reminding ourselves that we are in this together.’’