The Northern Youths Assembly of Nigeria (NYAN) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to activate proactive measures in curbing banditry and kidnappings in the northern region of the country.
Speaker of NYAN, Mohammed Lawal, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, the nation’s capital, said it is very important for northern governors to create a new strategy to rid the region of all forms of criminality.
He harped on the need for President Buhari and northern governors to join forces to eliminate banditry in the north before “banditry eliminates the region.”
He said, “Northern Nigeria was a relatively peaceful place with pictures of our leaders and forefathers sitting outside on their mats with their family and kinsmen.
“That blissful memory is fast fading away and the cries of banditry, terrorism, cattle rustling, farmer and herder clashes are staring us right in the face.
“Our farmers now pay protection taxes to bandits. Our sisters are kidnapped, raped for days, and returned.
“We cannot keep quiet and pretend that all is well. The north is being engulfed.”
The youth leader, however, expressed optimism in the ability of President Buhari to tackle the thriving menace.
