Northern Groups form its own security outfit ‘Shege-Ka-Fasa’

Spokesperson of the group, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman said formation of the
security outfit became neccessary following the spread of insurgency
from the North-East region in 2008 to other parts of the Northern
region.

The group who urged governors of all northern states to emulate their
colleagues in the South-West and South-East region in securing the
lives of residents of their states, said they will be formalizing the
request by writing to political leaders in the region.

The group’s statement reads;

“The outfit, codenamed “SHEGE KA FASA” is designed to be the vanguard
of the entire North encompassing every ethnic group and religion and to
be deeply patriotic in its operation.

“For the past 12 years, the North has struggled with disabling
challenges that include dwindling economy, rising poverty and more
worrying, a crippling security situation that has taken a huge toll on
lives, property and the overall cohesion of the region.

“A new dimension was introduced to the farmers/herders conflict which
gradually deteriorated into an uncontrollable proportion and deepened
the artificial rift between communities in the region.

“This trend suddenly metamorphosed into deadly armed banditry and
kidnapping for ransom which is recycled for arms and drugs. This is in
addition to another frustrating trend of the theft and forced
trafficking in northern children to other parts of the country for
reasons that are largely dubious.

“The situation today, on most northern highways, innocent travelers
are waylaid, robbed and abducted, towns and villages attacked and sacked
by bandits who have created an atmosphere of palpable fear across the
region.

“As the situation grows more desperate by the day with the North as
the most porous and vulnerable, with northerners as the most distressed
and estranged.

“By this, today we unveil the symbols for the Shege Ka Fasa outfit
which would be formally inaugurated in the coming few weeks when all
necessary legal processes might have been completed or formally adopted
and ratified by the northern states governors.

“That the current desperate situation in the North can be largely
contained and eventually controlled by intensifying the task of
anticipating and checkmating the manoeuvres of all criminal elements and
blocking the supply channels for such dangerous merchandise as firearms
and drugs.

“That this task can only be successfully achieved with the active
involvement of the members of all northern communities that are at the
receiving end of the apparent security lapses.

“That is the prevailing circumstances, the only option is to resort
to voluntary self-defense mechanisms in line with initiatives taken by
other regions that are even least affected in comparison to what obtains
in the North”.

 “Against the backdrop of these concerns and observations, the
Coalition of Northern Groups does not wish to remain silent or passive
and allow things that affect the North and potentially cause greater
instability in the country to continue unchecked.

“Aware also of the need for concerted efforts to assist the Federal
Government to restore peace and security and to disband all militias and
armed groups in northern Nigeria to ensure that no group has the
capacity to challenge the State in its prerogative to maintain law and
order, and protect citizens’ lives and properties, the CNG has:

“Initiated practical measures for the setting up of a northern
regional security outfit to compliment the efforts of the police, the
military, the security services to detect, expose and defeat all
criminal machinations and carry out specific and general tasks that
would realign the attitude and thinking of the public with the ideals
and objectives of the founding fathers of the region.

“In addition to performing general complementary tasks for enhancing
security in the region, the outfit shall also Coordinate operations
against the influx of hard drugs into the North, take steps to
neutralize all centers of gravity for the supply, manufacturing, and
distribution of such drugs and other dangerous substances”.

It is expected the security outfit will coordinate vigilance to check
and expose illegal arms trade, supply channels and possession, guard
against the theft and illegal traffic in kids and other vulnerable
sections of the northern population and expose operations of fraudsters
like the Yahoo boys whose ill-gotten wealth forms part of the source of
funding for the drug and arms trade.