A coalition of 23 civil society organizations have thrown their weight behind the call by elders in the North under the aegis of Northern Elders for Peace and Development, that the service chiefs be relieved of their positions.

The Northern elders have in repeated statements in recent times, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency, sack the security chiefs, alleging incompetence and over stay as reasons for the call.

In a communique released to the media in Abuja on Sunday, after an expanded meeting insisted that showing the service chiefs the way out of office was the best way to go since the security situation was not getting any better under their watch.

The Northern elders’ position was greeted with opposition by a Lagos-based group under the aegis of Campaign Against Impunity.

The group had disagreed with the elders call, asking the President to ignore any call to that effect. Besides, the Lagos based group had argued that sacking the service chiefs would demoralise the fighting spirit of troops thus further worsening the country’s security situation.

But reacting in a statement, the 23 civil society organisations under a group called Coalition of Civil Rights Organisations, insisted that the Northern elders’ position had the blessings of majority of Nigerians given the worsening security situation under the leadership of the service chiefs.

The coalition condemned the statement by the Lagos group, saying it lacked the understanding of the security situation in the North to react to the Northern elders’ position they way it did.

Signatories to the statement included Dr Musa Dan Dutse,who signed for Actions Against Terrorism (AAT); Mallam Ibrahim Bichi for Change Agent Initiative (CAI).;Mazi Anayo Orji for Igbo League of Professionals (ILEP) and Hajiya Hazida Mohammed for Northern Children Rights Advocacy Group (NOCHRAG).(Daily Independent)