TheCable

Kola Salawu, national president of The Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace and Security (CCGPS) has described state-sponsored militia groups illegal and unconstitutional.

Salawu made this known during a press conference held in Lagos on Thursday.

He said some governors were spending more energy in stoking the embers of discord as opposed to delivering the dividends of democracy to those that elected them.

“Our group is in custody of credible information that some governors are arming militia groups,” he said.

“The federal government must show leadership since the blame will grow to become its own if it allows ethnic militias to fester unchecked.

“Aside the international odium it will pour on the country, the current crop of federal officials may find themselves as guests at The Hague since there is all possibility that any indifference would equal an active support for the crimes being committed by officials of the second tier of government; there is the additional risk that the militias being armed by these governors would one day take on federal law enforcement personnel.

“Not too long ago we felt the negative consequences of using ethnic militias on citizens as was the case with the Ombatse militia in Nasarawa state, which makes the militias recently apprehended in Benue state a great concern.”

Citing section 227 of the constitution, Salawau said: “Such constitutional breaches in governors using militias is a slippery slope Nigeria must not again navigate as we must be reminded of the judicial killings that took place under the so-called Bakasai Boys in Anambra State under the then Governor Mbadinuju, the state remains chaotic till date because of that ill-advised intervention.”