The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Thursday criticised the Federal Government’s handling of Boko Haram insurgency, especially the recent abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State.
In a statement issued in Kaduna by the Forum’s General, Col. JIP Ubah, it also picked holes in the intervention of the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, in the abduction saga.
The ACF noted that the “First Lady remained characteristically disruptive of all efforts by concerned Nigerians.
“Her reaction to the street protests was to set up her own panel of inquiry to which she summoned federal and state government officials, including wives of Governors.
“She conducted a mock trial of the officials on live television and at the end of it, declared that no school girls were missing, suggesting that the entire story was some hoax constructed to embarrass her husband”.
On the part of the President, the Forum was displeased that he did not act on the abduction until when Nigerians took it upon themselves to mobilise for the girls’ rescue.
“The President hardly ever took action until he came under pressure to do so from people outside his government. The mounting pressure from local and international community is now compelling him to talk of deploying more troops to confront the Boko Haram insurgents.
“His belated acceptance of help from foreign powers had come only after the abduction of over 200 young girls, stirring worldwide outrage”.
The ACF cautioned against approving the extension of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, saying the exercise has been disastrous so far.
It states, “We caution that the request before the National Assembly to approve the extension of the year-long state of emergency declared in the North East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, be considered against its impact so far, which can only be described as disastrous.
“Before the State of Emergency was declared in the three states, between 2009 and 2012, the total causalities of the insurgency were less than 1,500.
“But this figure sky-rocketed to over 2,700 during the one year of the emergency, according to figures released by Amnesty International”.
