By Mukhtar Sagir Dambatta
President of Arewa Youth Assembly for Good Leadership (AYAGL), Alhaji Danbature Abdul, has condoled with the Etsu Nupe and people of Niger State over the deaths of 37 persons reportedly in NSCDC custody.
Abdul made the call during a condolence and solidarity visit to His Royal Highness, the Etsu Nupe, following the deaths of the persons reportedly held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna.
In a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Abdul commiserated with the families of the deceased, the Niger State Government, traditional institution and people of the state.
He said the Assembly recognised the grief, anger and concerns generated by the incident and called for every legitimate question surrounding the deaths to be properly investigated and addressed.
Abdul commended the Federal Government and NSCDC leadership for steps taken following the incident, including the suspension of officers connected with the matter and the establishment of an independent investigative committee.
He urged the committee to conduct its work transparently and without interference, with appropriate accountability and remedial action based on its findings.
The AYAGL president also commended youths and residents of Niger for exercising restraint in the face of grief and anger, saying citizens should avoid taking the law into their own hands.
He called on young people across Niger State and the North to reject drug abuse, criminal associations and attempts by non-state actors to lure youths into crime, banditry and other criminal activities.
Abdul further urged the Federal Government to strengthen intelligence gathering, inter-agency coordination, community-based security measures and protection of vulnerable communities across Northern Nigeria.
He said the region continued to face security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping and illegal-mining-related criminality, which required sustained and coordinated security action.
The AYAGL president appealed to citizens and youth organisations to exercise restraint and allow the ongoing investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
He said calls for demonstrations should be carefully weighed against the need to prevent further loss of life, destruction of property and exploitation of legitimate grievances by criminal elements.
Abdul said justice, accountability and security must go together, adding that the lives lost should strengthen the resolve of government and society to prevent a recurrence.
“We stand with the Etsu Nupe, the Niger State Government, the families of the deceased and the good people of Niger State in this period of grief,” he said.
NAN
About The Author
