•Armed Fulani herdsmen
The Ijaw National Congress has criticized the Federal Government over the persistent insecurity in various parts of the country.
President of the INC, Prof Benjamin Okaba yesterday in Yenagoa expressed disappointment over the government’s inability to stem the tide of violence and killings in some parts of the country, reports Saturday Vanguard.
Okaba noted that Nigeria cannot normalize mass killings and that every region must feel the full weight of the law.
His words, “the persistent killings in Plateau, Benue, Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Kwara, Sokoto, and some Southern states are deeply tragic and unacceptable. When the President of the Federal Republic – and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces – makes strong public pronouncement and issues marching orders, Nigerians expect decisive action, deterrence, and visible results. The fact that these attacks continue unabated speaks to a troubling combination of factors.
“First, it underscores long-standing weaknesses in our security architecture – inadequate intelligence gathering, slow operational response, insufficient inter-agency coordination, and in some cases, the infiltration of criminal elements into local communities and the military without effective tracking. The perpetrators are emboldened when they perceive that consequences are minimal or that state security presence is reactive rather than preventive.
“Secondly, this is not only a law enforcement challenge – it is a governance and justice problem. In many of these areas, communities feel abandoned, and justice for victims is either delayed or denied. That vacuum creates space for reprisals, cycles of violence, and the flourishing of non-state armed groups.
“Thirdly, the government’s inability to find a lasting solution is partly because these killings are rooted in deeper issues: competition over land and resources, ethnic and religious intolerance, climate-induced migration pressures, and the proliferation of small and light fire arms.
Without a holistic strategy that combines security enforcement with conflict resolution, justice delivery, and economic development, the cycle will persist.”
The INC, therefore, called on President Tinubu to go beyond public pronouncements and ensure that security agencies are held accountable for measurable outcomes.
The group also urged Mr. President to reorganise the special inter-agency task Forces with prosecutorial powers, backed by technology-driven intelligence, to dismantle these killer networks.
“Former President Jonathan did it, though very late, but he is the only president that has ever taken decisive actions that saw Nigeria pushing the killers back to the fringe.
“Nigeria cannot normalise mass killings. Every region – from the Middle Belt to the far North, from the Niger Delta to the North-East – must feel the full weight of the law. This is not just a Plateau or Benue tragedy; it is a national emergency that threatens the soul of our federation.”
The INC President warned that if the federal government fails to address the insecurity, it may lead to a situation where regions may demand to govern themselves, which could further destabilise the country.
“If the federal government can no longer hold things together, we the Ijaws insist that, at the minimum, every region is allowed to govern themselves, as the worsening insecurity could nail the coffin of Nigeria as truly a “Failed State,” he said.
