By CHIWENDU NNADOZIE
The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Niger State Council has given the state government one week ultimatum to expedite action towards immediate release and safe return of 136 pupils of Islamiyya and other hostages still in languishing in the den of their abductors.
The union also wants the state government to ban the task force saddled with the responsibility of enforcing the ba on commercial motorcycles for going beyond their scope of operations, including being brutal or excessive use of force resulting in the death of about three persons and imprisonment of others, including journalists.
A communique issued at the end of the meeting, jointly signed by George Duniya and Uthman Siraja, Chairman and Secretary of Communique drafting committee respectively wants the state government to apply the same zeal used in rescuing the Governor’s mother, the zonal chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in rescuing the children and other hostages still in the armed bandits’ den.
The journalists wondered why the state government is creating an impression that some persons are inferior to others, adding that it is sad that for almost three months the children are still held captive while many have died due to harsh weather conditions exposed to.
“Niger State Police Command claimed that the commissioner for information was released when the combined security force trailed the kidnappers, the same strategy should be deployed to secure the release of others still in captivity especially the Tagina Islamiyya children who have spent about three months”.
Farmers no longer go to their farms for fear of being killed and people are dying daily out of hunger caused by the high cost of available foods in the market, this according to the NUJ needed urgent attention hence the call on the state government to act.
While expressing gratitude to God for sparing the life of the commissioner and the APC Chieftain, the union challenged the Abubarkar Sani Bello-led government to live of to its responsibilities of protecting the lives and properties of the citizenry.
On the activities of the task force to end operations of commercial motorcycles (Okada), the journalists want the state government to immediately call the task force and others confiscating plate numbers from people’s car at the market to order to avoid breakdown of law and order.
The ten-point communique also indicates that,
“The taskforce using excessive force and brutal now terrorize innocent people and hounding them into prison including a journalist living in Koropma who was arrested, detained for attempting recording their activities in Koropma”.
Some people who committed no offence are sometimes pursued to their homes and in some cases beaten for committing no offence except that they were found along the route the task force was operating and some shops looted, this the union said must stop to avoid throwing the state into chaos.
The union is also worried about the deplorable state of infrastructure, the road network in particular and therefore call on the Governor Bello-led APC administration to ensure speedy completion of the; Chanchaga-Minna road, Mandella road, the market roads and the abandoned, Dutsen Kura-Gwari road. (Daily Independent)
