By Sumaila Ogbaje
Northern Development Movement (NDM), a peace advocacy group, has called on all Nigerians and politicians to give peace a chance by supporting the efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The group made the call in a statement jointly signed by the Convener, Ismail Bako, and the Secretary, Patricia Gambo, on Thursday in Abuja.
They commended the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, for the recent parley with leaders and stakeholders in Southern Kaduna, towards finding a lasting solution to the security challenges in the area.
According to NDM, the CDS during the visit, met with community leaders and representatives of various groups to seek solutions to the incessant attacks in the area.
They said the meeting had in attendance representatives of Fulani, Atiyap, Hausa, Kagoro, and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and Jamatul Nasir Islam (JNI) as well as traditional rulers, political leaders, and the president of the southern Kaduna peoples Union.
The group also urged communities in the north to support the armed forces to bring an end to the various crises that had affected the socio-economic development of the country.
According to the group, “the north is bleeding, not just Southern Kaduna.
“Our March towards development has been hampered. It is time stakeholders realised the enormity of what we have done to ourselves.
“We cannot continue on this path and it will definitely take us years to recover from the damage the crisis has caused.
“We are making a passionate appeal to all in the region to give peace a chance.
“We also urge politicians to play by rules of the game as the 2023 general elections draw near”.
NDM also commended the Defence Headquarters for its peace initiative in Plateau State in 2021, as well as the CDS parley with retired senior military officers in the six geopolitical Zones, to proffer solutions to the nation’s security challenges. (NAN)
