NORTHERN youths under the aegis of Arewa Youth Assembly, on Wednesday staged a protest over the rising level of insecurity in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and demanded the replacement of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno.
Publicity Secretary Aliyu Muhammed, while addressing journalists during the protest at the National Assembly, said terrorists and other criminals had become more daring under Monguno’s watch.
Muhammed also said the security situation in the country showed that the NSA was not effectively discharging his duties and called for his resignation or sack.
“The criminal elements became emboldened under his watch as the NSA; they equally ambushed and killed some officers of the Brigade of Guards to Mr President and also issued notice to kidnap Buhari and Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State. This is unfortunate and unimaginable in the history of nationhood.
“The NSA is either not advising the President, or his ideas are infective; hence, the seeming triumph of ragtag elements over our Armed Forces. We, therefore, call for his immediate resignation or be sacked by Buhari,” Muhammed said.
He noted that indiscriminate killings across the country had worsened food scarcity and the country’s poverty rate.
“We want the security of this nation to unconditionally be improved from its present state to a satisfactory one, and all Nigerians in captivity should be fought for and set free, unconditionally,” he said.
The group, however, called off the protest but threatened to converge again in all 19 Northern states if their demands were not met in two days.
The ICIR reported that residents of the FCT are living in apprehension over the spread of insecurity into the country’s capital.
Following a series of attacks by terrorists and bandits within the FCT, security concerns have heightened, and residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s response to the security concerns.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.