The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to allow states to establish their own police forces to curb the increasing wave of killings and attacks across the country.
The Chairman of the NBA, Jos Branch, Leah Hassan, made this call during a joint press conference in Jos, attended by Chairmen of the three other NBA branches in Plateau State.
Hassan condemned the recent violent attacks in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas, which resulted in the deaths and displacement of many residents.
The NBA urged the Federal Government to take concrete actions, including the deployment of adequate security personnel to vulnerable communities and the empowerment of those communities with means of self-defense.
It also demanded the immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution of those responsible for the attacks, long with the provision of relief and rehabilitation for victims, especially women and children.
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The NBA condemned the attacks as premeditated and urged security agencies to go beyond rhetoric and deliver visible and effective justice.
“We cannot continue to be silent in the face of these barbaric and evil acts of killing innocent citizens and taking over their ancestral lands, making them strangers in their own homes.
“That states should be allowed to establish state police who will be armed with weapons to defend our communities.
“The Nigerian Bar Association branches on the Plateau are deeply saddened and pained by the recent spate of violent attacks in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs of Plateau State, which have claimed numerous innocent lives and left many others injured, displaced, traumatised, and grieving.
“It is utterly heart-wrenching that while Plateau State is yet to recover from the horror and pain of previous attacks, our peace is once again shattered by another wave of senseless and barbaric killings. These acts of violence are a direct assault on our shared humanity, the rule of law, and the fundamental right to life as enshrined in our Constitution.
“We adopt in totality the President’s address, calling on the government to uphold the tenets of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly the right to life.
“The continued bloodletting in Plateau State, under the guise of communal crises, must no longer be treated with indifference or vague promises. The slogan should no longer be ‘Enough is enough,’ but ‘This is enough – let’s stand up and take action.’
