By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

THE Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Friday, said it was perturbed over the increased spate of killings in Zamfara State, even as it tasked the Federal Government to wake-up to its responsibility of protecting lives and properties of its citizen.

Relatives cry as they mourn during a funeral service for 17 worshippers and two priests, who were allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen, at Ayati-Ikpayongo in Gwer East district of Benue State, north-central Nigeria on May 22, 2018.
Two Nigerian priests and 17 worshippers have been buried, nearly a month after an attack on their church, as Catholics took to the streets calling for an end to a spiral of violence. White coffins containing the bodies of the clergymen and the members of their congregation were laid to rest in central Benue state, which has been hit by a wave of deadly unrest. / AFP PHOTO

The NBA, which is the umbrella body of legal practitioners in the country, said it has constituted a high-powered delegation to embark on a fact-finding mission in the state with a view to ascertaining the remote and root causes of the incessant blood-letting.

It vowed to invoke the full wrath of the law on any group or individuals that are found culpable in the heightened insecurity that has led to the death of hundreds and displacement of thousands of people in Zamfara.

Addressing a Press conference in Abuja, the National President of the NBA, Mr. Abubakar Mahmood, SAN, said the body was not unmindful of the fact that FG recently deployed about 1000 soldiers and aircraft to wade into the crisis.

He said the association decided to send its own team to the state in order to get a first-hand appraisal of the situation vis-à-vis ensuring strict adherence to rules of engagement by security agencies.

“All the killing in Zamfara is giving us a lot of concern, which is why we have constituted a fact-finding committee to visit the zone. The NBA is concerned about any situation where there is breakdown of law and order that is capable of leading to breach of the rule of law.

“This is why we want to go there and see things for ourselves and to also ensure that security agencies adhere to their rules of engagement. If we find out that they are not doing so, we will draw attention of the authorities concerned.

“It is important to note that there are frameworks for holding people accountable if it is fount that they are complicit in what is going on. If we find out that there are persons that are culpable, we will not hesitate to ensure they are brought to book”, Mahmood stated.