ACF hits Buhari hard, says Nigeria no longer safe under him

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Tuesday hit President Muhammadu Buhari hard, declaring that Nigeria was no longer safe under his watch.

The group was reacting to the worsening security situation in the country, especially in the North that has been witnessing increasing insurgents and bandits activity amongst other criminal actions of recent.

The group’s Board of Trustees handed down the verdict at its maiden meeting since the inauguration of the new executive of the ACF in March, lamenting that the Buhari-led government had failed to heed its advice on how to tackle the spate of insecurity in the land.

The group’s National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, who spoke to journalists after the BoT meeting in Kaduna on Tuesday, said the group was not happy with the security situation in Nigeria.

He also noted that the forum was even tired of complaining because the government appeared inactive about the insecurity.

According to him, Nigerian leaders should tell Nigerians what will happen if their own children are kidnapped like the poor masses.

He said: “Today’s (Tuesday) meeting is very crucial to the operations of ACF because it is the first meeting of the newly constituted Board of Trustees (BOT).

“We discussed security and we are worried because Nigerians are not very secure. We are not happy about insecurity in the country. We are looking at the immediate ways and long term of getting security improved.”

Read also: ACF expresses anger over growing insecurity in the North

Speaking on the abduction of students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State, the ACF BoT said it was most disturbing for the government to say they were still negotiating with the bandits on how to release the boys.

“It has been in the news that over 300 students were kidnapped and taken away in Katsina, and the government is saying they are negotiating with the kidnappers to free the students. These are some of the things that are very distressful and disturbing to all members of ACF,” he said.

The ACF spokesperson disclosed that the forum had called on government severally and kept on saying that they were not going to allow banditry to take over the country.

“Bandits went to the school, packed students on bikes and took them to the forest. Whatever is happening to them in the forest, nobody knows. The situation is very distressful. Our leaders should tell us what would happen if their children were among those kidnapped.

“ACF complained about this insecurity in its October meeting, and nothing was done. We are in December with the same complaint, and nothing is being done.

“We are even tired of complaining,” Yawe said.

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