Anyaoku, Duke, Nwabueze, others want national dialogue to douse political tension

The Project Nigeria Movement (PNM) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently set up a National Consultative and Reconciliatory Commission of Eminent Leaders and Jurists to douse the political tension in the country and curb escalating insecurity.

The group, which is made up of eminent elder statesmen and political activists in the country, including Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN); former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; former military governor of Imo and Lagos State, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu; former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah; Solomon Asemota (SAN) and Prof. Kimse Okoko, among others, urged President Buhari to take visible and active measures to secure the country as its chief security officer.

In a communiqué issued by the group during an interactive session with journalists yesterday in Lagos, which was signed by Prof. Pat Utomi, former Cross River governor, Mr Donald Duke, Dr Kunle Olajide, Prof. Anthony Kila and its Head of Secretariat, Sir Olawale Okunniyi, they urged the President to urgently put in place a serious security machinery to fish out bandits and terrorists in the country and bring them to book.

They warned that the “current heightened criminal and murderous activities of bandits and terrorists have, once again, pushed the country to the brink of anarchy.”

The communiqué read in part: “We strongly call on President Muhammadu Buhari, as the Chief Security Officer of the country to take visible and active measures to secure the country and that a serious security machinery should be urgently be put in place for these criminal invaders and murderers, whoever they are, to be fished out and brought to pay for their ungodly acts.

“The Federal Government should immediately set up a National Consultative and Reconciliatory Commission of Eminent Leaders and Jurists to urgently engage the country towards unraveling the truth about the current murderous banditry and terrorism in the country and to facilitate profound national understanding and reconciliation among the various nationalities and religious groups.”

They noted that taking those steps would help to prevent a total breakdown of law and order and unwanted civil strife.

“Governments at all levels should immediately commence an in-depth and robust public conversation on state, local and community policing towards curbing and neutralising the present state of insecurity and killings created by menacing and invading armed bandits and terrorists marauding in Nigeria’s forests and highways.

“It is imperative that appropriate actions are taken with great speed by all concerned to avoid the complete erosion of the legitimacy of the Nigerian State and a journey down the road to Somalia.

“We as concerned leaders, pray, at this trying period, for divine fortitude for all Nigerians, who have lost their relations and loved ones to ravaging terrorist criminality in our country,” the group added.