Nigerians, according to the Northern Elders Forum, are experiencing “extremely challenging” circumstances as a result of the country’s recent bloodshed.
The Forum made the statement in light of a new assessment from SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence, a research and intelligence business, which looked into combatant attacks between Q4 2020 and Q3 2021.
The report stated that 322 police and 642 soldiers were killed; adding that 1989 bandits, 973 Boko Haram members, 290 cultists, 129 Vigilantes, and 100 IPOB members also died in the same period.
Reacting, NEF’s Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said, in an interview with Vanguard , regretted that the government has not done enough to secure the nation.
“The country is being threatened and harmed at unprecedented levels,” he said. Whatever governments undertake to protect persons, communities, and the nation is clearly insufficient.
‘However, we must insist that leaders improve their responses to these risks.’ Citizens have the right to question leaders’ ability to protect and secure us if they are unable to do so.
We cannot protect ourselves from armed criminality without jeopardizing our own security. However, governments make it difficult (for citizens) to exercise their rights to protest failures. We are in very difficult circumstances.