Soji Ajibola, Ibadan
The pan Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to back words with actions in the fight against terrorism.
The foremost Yoruba socio-cultural group described repeated directives to the Army to flush out terrorists as mere rhetorics.
Afenifere had in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi stressed the need for the President to back his words with actions.
He said that Nigerians are not new to the repeated directives by the President l to the Army to wipe out terrorists while the problem persists.
It will be recalled that the President, while addressing the 247 graduating students of the Senior Course 44 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, last week Thursday, had said that “recent terrorist attacks in Nigeria bore the hallmark of national and trans-border insurgents trying to cause havoc in Nigeria as well as in neighbouring countries”.
The statement noted that the President then charged the soldiers who were led by the Commandant of the College, Oluwarotimi Tuwase, to consider it as part of their duty “to confront these terrorists and insurgents and wipe them off the face of the earth”. Participants were from various countries in West Africa.
The group, however, observed that insurgency ought not to have occurred at all in the first place if the government have lived up to its responsibilities.
The statement stated that the kid-glove treatment being meted out to the terrorists was what made them to grow to the point of taking over territories in some states in the northern part of the country notably Sokoto, Kaduna, Borno, Niger, Zamfara among others.
While appreciating President Buhari’s affirmation to give the military needed support, Ajayi submitted that this has been said several times over without backing it up with action.
“For example, it was on record that men of the Armed Forces had, at different times, complained that they do not have the kind of fire-power possessed by the terrorists they were supposed to confront and overcome.”
