No Sanctuaries Anywhere For Killers – Speaker Dogara
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said there are no sanctuaries anywhere in the country for killers and other hardened criminals who feed on the blood of people.
The Speaker also said that at these moments of intense outpouring of grief across the nation, it is important that we shun buck-passing and accept responsibility for the wanton killings without which we will never find a solution to this evil.
He said that Nigerians particularly leaders cannot afford to fold their hands and pretend that all is well with the country, stressing that we cannot throw up our hands in defeat.
According to him; “We have a responsibility to all Nigerians regardless of creed or ethnicity in line with the constitutionally stated primary purpose of the government we serve in, which is securing the welfare including the lives and property of our people.
“This we must do by ensuring that every law abiding Nigerian is protected where ever he chooses to live in the country and everyone who is up in arms against our citizens is quickly brought to justice where ever they are in the country.”
Dogara also said that the solution to the mindless killings and bloodletting lies in the ability to shun buck- passing, while the government lives up to its responsibility of providing security for the lives of every Nigerian, irrespective of where they live.
Speaker Dogara, who stated these while reacting to the killings in Rivers, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Zamfara, Adamawa, Edo, among others states, in his opening remarks at the resumption of the House of Representatives from its Christmas break, stressed that as leaders, they cannot afford to fold their hands and pretend that all is well with the country.
He further said; “That there are no sanctuaries anywhere in the country for killers and other hardened criminals who feed on the blood of our people.
“We are all painfully aware of the wave of murders of innocent Nigerians that has been sweeping through the nation. From the senseless killings in Rivers State, to the killing rampages in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Zamfara, Adamawa, Edo and other States; our dear country is now being painted red with the blood of the innocents on account of unremitting bedlam callously promoted by cold hearted merchants of death.
“On behalf of the House of Representatives, I wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to the governments, people, and especially families of those who have lost loved ones in these primitive, mindless and despicable rounds of bloodletting across our dear country.
He added that no one or group should be allowed to foist the reign of tragedy and group polarisation on Nigeria, while noting that while violence does not result in victories, democratic ways of addressing conflicts through compromise and consensus should be adopted for their effectiveness.
He said; “Those who pride themselves in violence must be reminded of the self-defeating nature of violence: the fact that violence only begets violence and that true victory has never been won by violence. It was Mahatma Gandhi who delivered a timeless rebuke to the fools who worship brute force by reminding them that, “victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat for it is momentary”.
“We have to preach this message to our people who must not only accept the inevitability of conflict as well as the necessity for tolerance but must learn not to pursue conflict violently but democratically, in ways that result in compromise and consensus as the culture of democracy demands.”
While expressing condolence to the government, people and victims of the attacks, Dogara said that himself and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, were briefed by President Muhammadu Buhari on measures being taken to contain killer herdsmen and other criminals who kill with impunity across national flash points, saying if implemented as planned, it will put an end to the sad incidents.
