ELDERS in Northern Nigeria on Tuesday raised fears about the continued security challenges in the region which, they said, was under siege by Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and kidnappers.
They also threatened to mobilise Nigerians from other parts of the country against the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 general elections if their demands for a new approach to check insecurity was ignored.
According to them, it will take over 100 years for the North-East to recover from the destruction and trauma associated with insecurity if the trend was not brought under total control now.
The statesmen under the aegis of the Coalition of Northern Elders for Peace and Development expressed their grievances in a statement by its National Coordinator, Zana Goni.
The statement read in part, “From what is on the ground, it will take the North-East more than 100 years to recover even if the war stops today.
“Farmers can’t go to farms anymore especially in the North-East, fearing our concerns of severe famine if the situation is not immediately addressed.
“Mr. President, we in the North are the backbone of your party and if nothing is done soonest to address the issue of insecurity in our land, we will have no choice than to begin to mobilise against APC come 2023.”
Punch
