Against the resurgence of banditry, killings and kidnapping, especially in parts of the north, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and the Ohanaeze have described the incidents as politically motivated.

According the MBF President, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, the politicians have a role to play in the insecurity plaguing the country. He stressed that banditry and Boko Haram are political tools for those who created them.

“They use them to intimidate, coax and ensure that opponents are intimidated into submission and they are using these to control us.

“When they were about going out to do what they wanted to do and they felt that the ground was now prepared for them to reap from the mischief, their boys in the bush and forest didn’t do anything – there was no banditry, there was no herdsmen slaughtering people and the election went on smoothly.

After the elections, they started unleashing terror on places like Benue and Southern Kaduna. Maybe, they felt those places have not gone the right direction yet. It is all political manipulation looking for both political and territorial space,” he said. In the same direction, the spokesman of Ohanaeze, Dr. Alex Ogbonna said the apex Igbo socio-cultural association is not happy with the resurgence of the killings, especially in the north.

Said he: “It is difficult to explain why the president and commander in chief of the armed forces is watching and this thing continued.

“He is a Fulani, and the people alleged to be perpetrating this evil are herdsmen and they have an organization. The president must have a way of reaching out to the leadership of their organisation and order them to stop the killings.

“There is an element of politics in these renewed banditry, killings and kidnapping. In Zamfara State, about 80 children were kidnapped and nobody is talking about those children; it is so unfortunate that the country seems to have forgotten them.”(Saturday Sun)

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