Political leaders across the country have called on the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to stop the rising spate of killings across the country or quit.
They made the demand yesterday at an extra ordinary summit held in Abuja themed, “State of the Nation: The Rising Spate of Killings Must Stop”.
The summit was organised by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum.
The leaders in a communiqué urged government to reach a consensus on the issue of federalism and restructuring Nigeria.
The communiqué jointly signed by Leader Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) Chief Edwin Clark; Convener Northern Elders Forum (NEF) Prof Ango Abdullahi; Leader Afenifere Socio-Cultural Group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and President Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo.
They condemned the general state of insecurity in the country in recent times with several communities at the mercy of marauding killers.
According to the leaders affected communities perceived government to be complacent with the killings that claimed over 3,500 lives in 2017 and even much more in 2018.
They noted that the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) had increased from 1.5 million in 2015 to 4m currently.
They also said Nigeria had degenerated from the 136th to 148th position on the corruption perception index out of the 180 countries surveyed in 2018.
Speaking at the event, former president Olusegun Obasanjo said the Federal Government under President Buhari is “incompetent and incapable” of addressing the killings and poverty in the country.
“The obvious indication is that the government is seemingly confused and has got to the end of its tether and the nation is being left divisively and perilously to drift. Earlier last week, I noted in a speech some undesirable elements being allowed and being introduced to our democracy by this administration. If these are not stopped, they could be the death knell of our democracy,” he said.
