Enough of senseless killings —Arewa

THE Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), on Monday, said the senseless killings of innocent people should stop and called for constructive engagements so as  to bring about peaceful coexistence for development.
This is just as the military authorities said they would not pre-empt what took place and how the bomb-laden vehicles got into the Jaji Cantonment, but would treat the outcome of investigations on its merit.
The ACF, in a statement issued to newsmen in Kaduna by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, said the reports of continuous killings by some communities in Plateau State who took it out on each other as a means of settling scores were revolting to, not only the people of Plateau state, but to all northerners, Nigeria and the whole world.
“The recent killings in Barkin Ladi is depressing. God, in His own wisdom, created ethnic and religious diversity among the people so the people can make the most of their diversity. And that is why He has allowed migration to places over time, and created a situation where some people come in the morning, some in the afternoon and others in the evening. But all come any way. America is a good example of such a situation where people of different tribes and religions have come together to unleash their synergistic potential for the good of not only America but of humanity. Nigerians should not be an exception because we are not inferior physically, intellectually and spiritually,” the statement said in part.
Speaking to newsmen after a visit to Jaji on Tuesday, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim  said the explosions that killed people in the military formation was a sad incident and was least expected in a peaceful environment that had been cherished for years.
“We expect that the Board of Inquiry will reflect blame worthiness of the few and then we will treat it on its merit, but we cannot pre-empt what took place and how the bomb-laden vehicles got into the cantonment,” he said.
Ibrahim assured that “the authorities will respect the due process and the rule of law and there were codes out there that they must insist on.
“This is because that is the only way we can render justice but the report itself is the only thing that can define precisely who is to blame and who is not to blame and who is to be rewarded for exemplary actions.
“But, perhaps with the lesson now, we could not afford to take anything for granted. So, we will put it behind us quickly after the board of inquiry and then we will put some other mechanism in place to prevent this incident,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force in Yobe on Tuesday said it has recovered 5,207 rounds of assorted ammunition buried in a hideout in Kandahar area of Damaturu.
JTF spokesman, Lt. Lazarus Eli, said in a statement in Damaturu that the items were recovered on Monday during a search operation in the area.
He said two pistols, a rifle, three hand grenades and Improvised Explosive Devices were also recovered during the operation.
“The ammunition were lubricated to avoid rust, concealed in plastic cans and buried,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the JTF spokesman as saying in the statement.
He urged members of the public to report suspicious persons and materials in their areas and restated the determination of the force to provide security to the people of the state.