Defend yourselves against B’Haram, JNI tells Muslims

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, led by
the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad
Abubakar, on Wednesday asked
Muslims in the country to defend
themselves against attacks by the
violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.
The JNI said it had become obvious
that the Federal Government was
incapable of dealing with the
insurgents.
“That Muslims are strongly urged to
defend themselves, in appropriate
manner against any attack by
insurgents and all other acts of
violence by criminals, as it is a
religious obligation to do so,
particularly that government forces
currently seem to be incapable,” a
communiqué signed by the JNI’s
Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid
Abubakar-Aliyu, said on Wednesday
in Kaduna.
Appraising the Federal
Government’s efforts in curbing the
activities of the insurgents, the
body said the government had
failed and was indeed incapable of
tackling the Boko Haram members.
The communiqué was the outcome
of a one-day stakeholders’ meeting
on “the security situation in the
country,” organised by the JNI.
It partly read, “That the current
security challenges bedevilling the
country persist largely as a result of
the inability of government to
deploy effective strategies to
tackle them.
“That the manifest low morale of
troops due to inadequate welfare,
lack of desired weaponry and
failure of intelligence among other
reasons are severely hindering the
fight against insurgency.
“That despite the devastation
being caused by the incessant
sophisticated bombings evidenced
by huge losses of innocent lives
and gross destruction of properties,
our politicians at all levels and in all
political parties regrettably show
very scanty or no concern about the
national predicament and anguish
but are only busy with political
campaigns.
“That the economic base and
development of the country are
being systematically and grossly
crippled by all forms of
insurgencies, from Boko Haram to
cattle rustling, oil bunkering/theft
and other militancy.
“That Muslims are strongly urged to
defend themselves, in appropriate
manner against any attack by
insurgents and all other acts of
violence by criminals, as it a
religious obligation to do so,
particularly that government forces
currently seem to be incapable.”
The Sultan-led JNI , therefore,
noted that for Nigeria to regain and
maintain its glory anchored on
peace and progress, government
must wake up to its fundamental
constitutional responsibility of
providing adequate security to the
citizens of this country so as to stop
the increasing human carnage and
destruction of valuable properties.
It advised the government to
consider alternative means of
finding solution to the Boko Haram
menace, such as infrastructural
development, youth employment
programmes and stepping up the
dialogue option “rather than
depending on force alone since it
has so far proved to be ineffective.”
It added that there was the urgent
need to deploy necessary
intelligence and security measures
to curtail or possibly stop the
illegal importation and
proliferation of arms and
ammunition, saying these had
been contributing to the escalation
of insurgency and other related
criminal activities.
Besides, the JNI said the Civilian
Joint Task Forces, hunters and
retired security officers, who had
gallantly assisted the Nigerian
security forces in the fight against
insurgency, cattle rustling and
other crimes should be given all
the necessary support and
encouragement as their
intervention had helped positively
in frontline states.