Stop scaring the citizenry with rhetorics, mention coup plotters – Northern elders challenge Presidency

*’Why is the Presidency or DSS telling us there are people involved in these activities?’

THE Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) has challenged the Presidency to mention names of persons behind an alleged coup plot against the President Buhari-led government.

Recall that the Presidency had raised an alarm over attempts by some politicians and religious leaders to overthrow the president.

This followed the denial by the Defence Headquarters distancing itself from any plot to topple the incumbent head of state.

In a statement signed by its Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, today, the Northern elders’ group said the Presidency was using the same tactic of “scaring Nigerians with the rhetoric of subversion” instead of facing the diverse problems facing the country.

Baba-Ahmed, however, urged the Buhari government to “confront the issues and problems facing the country with the same zeal it carries on with rhetoric.”

Part of the statement reads:

“There is no point telling Nigerians that some unnamed citizens were plotting a forceful and undemocratic change of leadership in the country if the Presidency can not use the mechanism available to it to deal with the situation.

“The NEF challenges the Presidency to mention the plotters it claimed were recruiting some leaders of ethnic groups and the alleged ethnic groups.

“Subversion is a crime, sedition is a crime and treason is a crime. Why is the Presidency or DSS telling us that there are people who are involved in these activities?

“What do they want the public to do with the information? They are failing twice; first of all, they are failing to eliminate the ground which gives these kinds of elements if they do exist, the reason to do what they are doing and then they are failing in enforcing the law.

“I can say we talk with other groups, we discuss national issues. That is our right; there is nothing illegal in that and I am sure other groups do the same thing.

“But when you throw this kind of blanket accusations that somebody that you haven’t told us, someone, that you are in opposition today with, you haven’t dealt with is engaging and recruiting socio-cultural groups, you have to wonder; are you just using words to scare citizens?”