By Harris-Okon Emmanuel

UYO—A coalition of civil society organizations in the Niger Delta has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to revisit national security policies to arrest the worsening insecurity in the country.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari

The group which met in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, against the backdrop of the incessant killings in Benue and other states of the federation by rampaging herdsmen, warned that the killings were getting out of hand.

Spokesman of the group, Sheriff Mulade,  at a briefing after the meeting, expressed concern over the unabated killings allegedly perpetrated by herdsmen, stating that the group would articulate its position and send to the presidency in the days ahead.

Mulade, who doubles as the National Coordinator of Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, urged relevant authorities to institute criminal proceedings against the perpetrators of the heinous crimes, as according to him, the killings could destabilise the country ahead of the 2019 general polls, blaming the security agencies for not doing enough to nip the situation in the bud.

He said: “We are heading toward the 2019 general polls and the killings have persisted. It could destabilise the country and send a wrong signal to the international community, which would not augur well for us as a nation. It is painful that despite military presence in the states, killings and destruction of properties have continued unabated. We advise governors to take proactive and rigorous steps to fight the menace instead of turning the situation into a cash cow to further exploit their people for political and financial gains. Many Nigerians have been lost to these violent activities and clashes between herdsmen and farmers, while thousands of Nigerians have been displaced by the conflict. This is unacceptable.

“So, we urge the federal and state governments and critical stakeholders to come to a round-table to review the clashes with a view to making interventions that will spur rapid resolution of the crisis so that life can again return to normal for the millions of people that have been negatively affected.”