ACF warns against use of foreign mercenaries

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has slammed Governor Nasir El-warning Rufai’s to bring in foreign mercenaries if the Federal Government does not address the country’s insecurity.

El-outburst Rufai’s came after a rash of terrorist attacks in Kaduna, including last Monday’s bomb attack on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line, which killed nine people and kidnapped another 21.

The ACF, through its Secretary-General, Murtala Aliyu, issued a statement titled “A Time to Further Reflect” on Sunday, stating that the federal government is responsible for the country’s security and calling for a quick, calm, implementable, and long-term solution.

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The message warns that inviting foreign forces or mercenaries to “fight our course” should be approached with prudence.

The statement was as follows:”The Arewa Consultative Forum understands the exasperation of leaders at the sub-national level,” the statement said. “However, we urge governments, governors, and citizens alike to eschew any fire brigade approach on any critical issue that bedevils the country.” The comprehensive statement on governance failure, as attested by our governors, indicates that everything is not well in the nooks and crannies of the country known as Nigeria. We don’t have any other territory, and we don’t have any other country but Nigeria. As a result, the country’s survival must be prioritized, and residents’ lives and property, as well as law and order and freedom of expression, must be safeguarded.”

In response to the Nigerian Airforce’s proposal to guard trains from Abuja to Kaduna, Ibadan to Lagos, or the Itakpe lines, the Forum asked security services to rethink their activities and instead use their machinery and people to combat bandits and terrorist enclaves.

“Selecting solely railway lines for such operations will make air and road users more vulnerable to such assaults.” The rising level of terror attacks in the country, both on people and infrastructure, necessitates all-out war. The authorities may consider enlisting the help of volunteers such as ex-servicemen and women, civilian task teams, hunters, and others to make every inch of Nigeria habitable and peaceful, according to the group.