The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) on Friday, called Nigerians to stand up, defend themselves and territories against killers and bandits terrorizing the country, saying the days of lamentation are over.
The SMBLF said the strong call for Nigerians to rise up and defend their lives and territories became necessary following the ongoing attacks by suspected Fulani militias across various parts of the country.
The forum in a statement signed by its leaders specifically condemned the recent massacres in Plateau and Benue states, and declared that the time for mourning has passed, calling for necessary action from Nigerians.
In the statement signed by leaders of the Pan Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, the Middle Belt Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), urged Nigerians to take their destinies into their own hands severally and jointly.
They described the violence perpetrated by the bandits as “a coordinated and unrelenting genocidal massacre” aimed at wiping out communities across Nigeria, noting that more than 50 Irigwe ethnic citizens in Plateau State, while over 80 innocent lives were in Bokkos Local government area few days last Sunday.
The forum in the statement signed by Oba Oladipo Olaitan for Afenifere, Dr. Bitrus Pogu for the Middle Belt Forum, Senator John Azuta-Mbata for Ohanaeze Ndigbo World-Wide and Amb. God knows Igali for PANDEF criticized the federal government for its inaction.
They criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s failure to give directives to security agencies to pursue and bring the perpetrators to books, nothing the violence has continued unabated.
They frowned over the recent threats issued by a group known as the “Coalition of Registered Fulani Organizations” in Plateau, demanding the removal of military commanders- a demand that went unheeded by the government.
“Just days after these threats, as the condition was not met and knowing that the Presidential order was of no moment, the Bassa massacre occurred just as terror with sorrow tears and blood were unleashed on parts of Benue state by the same Fulani militias”
They stated that “The Nigerian state has effectively surrendered its sovereignty to the lawless militias.
