THE Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has faulted allegations of government complicity in killings in some parts of the country.

The group said this in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Mr Niyi Akinsiju, and Secretary, Mr Cassidy Madueke, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Some senior citizens under the aegis of Northern Elders Forum and Afenifere had recently criticised the Federal Government of not doing enough to curb spate of crises and insecurity in parts of the country.

But the BMO advised senior citizens, who many of them were in their eighties, against making unverifiable claims.

The organisation also accused the sectional leaders who converged on Abuja recently of playing the ostrich at a time they should join hands with the Buhari administration to end the bloodletting.

“Any one accusing President Buhari of not doing anything is simply playing to the gallery as, only a few days ago, the Presidency released a list of 22 security measures the government had taken to combat all forms of criminality and banditry in the country.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Army launched operation Ayem Akpatuma covering 17 states, including Benue and Nasarawa states, to stem the tide of herdsmen/farmers clashes.

“They later deployed air assets including combat helicopters in Benue, Taraba and Zamfara to support the fight against banditry.

“Only this month, the President approved the establishment of Operation WHIRL STROKE II, for deployment in Zamfara and Kaduna States,” the group explained.

The organisation also recalled that the Police recently took the fight to Boko Haram camps in Borno and Yobe states where 22 insurgents including sub-commanders and eight suspected abductors of over 200 Chibok girls in 2014 were arrested.

Besides, the BMO advised the elders to avoid a path that would open them up to ridicule especially as they were beneficiaries in the old patronage system.

“It is a known fact that some of those who gathered in Abuja benefitted from the sleaze of recent past, including funds meant for security issues.

“Now they are turning around to condemn acts that they were indirectly responsible for.

“We challenge them to outline clear efforts they made in the past to foster peaceful relations in places now affected by crisis that have roots in age-long ethnic rivalries.”

According to the organisation, it is surprising that senior citizens who should be involved in the search for peace in places where there are communal crisis prefer to play politics by throwing blames to the government at the centre.

The group also urged Nigerians to prepare for more anti-Buhari rhetorics from such groups in coming months, especially as the 2019 elections were a few months away. (NAN)

– Jul. 24, 2018 @ 16:25 GMT |