From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development (CNEEPD) has described as wicked, insensitive and ignorant those who are against the sacking of federal security service chiefs given the spate of insecurity in Nigeria.
CNEEPD National Coordinator Engr Zana Goni, in a statement on Wednesday, specifically tackled the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) for accusing the group of being sponsored and seeking the ‘destruction of modern-day constitutional democracy in Nigeria are children and wards of these community elders who are now transferring their misdirected angst at the service chiefs.’
Goni said: ‘Ordinarily, the Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development would not have dignified the group with a response, but for the need to remind the undiscerning public what characterises the aforementioned group.
‘May we hasten to state that our consistent call on our dear and amiable President to sack Service Chiefs, has been borne out of patriotism and the need to restore public confidence.
‘We remind the group led by one Emmanuel Onwubiko, that our position has continued to align with those of our respected Senators, members of the House of Representatives, as well as other concerned Nigerians, who are in the majority.
‘We are, therefore, of the considered view that Onwubiko and his co-travellers may have lost touch with reality, or are being mischievous in their attack on our members.
‘We challenge Onwubiko and his followers to appear before officers (both serving and retired), whose carrier growth have been affected by the continuous stay of the Service Chiefs, to make that argument.
‘As respected elders concerned about the fact that our farmers can hardly access their farms, while the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) continues to grow, we will not buckle in our call for a new order in the security sector.
‘We advise Onwubiko and his co-travellers to turn over a new leaf, embrace reality, that posterity may not be harsh on them.’
