NBA: Rising insecurity justifies call for sack of service chiefs

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) says the spate of insecurity in the country justifies the recent call for the removal of the service chiefs.

Some members of the senate and other Nigerians have asked the president to sack the service chiefs over the security challenges in the country.

TheCable previously reported that the service chiefs were overdue for retirement, having spent more than 35 years in service.

The presidency had in a statement said those who are benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency are inciting Nigerians against the country’s military chiefs.

In an interview with the PUNCH, Kunle Edun, spokesperson of the NBA, said: “NBA is very concerned about the increasing state of insecurity in the country.”

He said the association’s national executive committee “has issued several communique urging the federal government to do more in stemming the increasing tide of insecurity”.

“The call may be justified because of the increasing number of deaths and destruction of property by bandits and insurgents,” he said.

“Only recently in Uwheru, armed bandits alleged to be Fulani herdsmen attacked the community and killed about eight persons. In Batsari Area Council of Katsina State, 30 persons were also killed by bandits.

“All these happened within last week, and that is not all. It is a fact that the service chiefs were appointed by the President and answerable to him.

“Nigeria is an emerging democracy and it is good for the political leaders to listen to the people, as the authority of the rulers to rule are derived from the people who have entrusted in government the responsibility to protect them and their property.

“If government is not doing well, in this regard it should rejig its security team and consider new ideas.”

Edun said Nigerians no longer feel safe on the roads and in their homes owing to violent crimes that have become part of the daily reports of the media.

The NBA spokesman also said the situation “might have overwhelmed the capacity of the security agencies as they also battle with issues of low morale and availability of necessary tools to tackle these security challenges”.

“This unfortunate incident has led to Nigerians and organisations, including the House of Representatives recently, questioning the capacity and ability of the service chiefs to get Nigeria out of the woods,” he said.