By PETER DURU, Makurdi

The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Tuesday said the reported case of a suicide bomber in Ebonyi state marks the beginning of bad times in the southern part of the country generally.

National President of the MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu told Vanguard in Makurdi that the development was a warning call on the federal government to frontally address the security challenges facing the country as it was getting out of hand.

According to him, “that is to say what is happening in Borno has come to the South-East or the entire south full blast. It is a warning call and the earlier we address some of our security issues and face it frontally the better for everybody.

“Remember during former President Jonathan’s government, suicide bombing was very rampant. These persons came in and I think they had some arrangements, I am sorry to say that, and the thing just ceased.

“Is it that they ran out of dynamite or out of bomb-making materials? I do not think so. There must be something going on which we could not see in the open, but it stopped.

“Now the introduction of suicide bombing and other forms of bombing in the South-East, to me signals the beginning of bad times in the south generally.

“Before now, let’s say recently, cries came out from everywhere that the south is being infiltrated by killer herdsmen, by bandits or whatever name they are called.

“And now with the introduction of bombing whether it is suicide or planted, it has created a new dimension and the south needs to wake up. That is the organized crime happening in the north, particularly in the North-East is now rearing its head in the South-East and eventually the entire south.

“So everybody should be a suspect till proven innocent, and that is how they will survive. It is a warning and wake-up call on security operatives, on vigilantes on everybody to install facilities that will forestall the bombing of people and facilities in the south.

“Let them learn from what happened in the north so that everywhere will be protected,” he added. (Vanguard)

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