By Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri
The African Centre for Human Rights and Humanitarian Services, ACHRHS, has called on the federal government to step up the fight against insurgency in the Northeast by equipping security personnel with the right equipment that will position them for victory.
Leader of the group, Saina Buba, made the call on Monday while addressing a press conference in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Buba lamented that recent terrorist activities in the region had aggravated human right abuses, extra-judicial killings, mass poverty, starvation, breakdown of law and order, total displacement of families and also led to rural-urban migration.
He said residents have been robbed of their fundamental right to life and means to livelihood while many people are now being forced to live out of their comfort zones in designated temporary camps where feeding is not guaranteed.
“Our people are not even asking for good roads, electricity or a befitting house to live in. They are only asking for right to life and live in their villages but from all indications, these simple rights are no longer possible,” the chairman said.
He said that insurgency will continue to linger until the federal government equips and motivates members of the Nigerian armed forces, adding that the Civilian JTF should be trained and mobilized for effective assistance to the military personnel and should be well paid.