A coalition of over five hundred women group, WOMANIFESTO has called for the immediate resumption of plenary session by the national assembly members to tackle the issues of kidnapping, banditry and wanton killings nationwide.
The collaboration consisting of activists, practitioners and advocates made the call in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja, stressing the Legislators continuous recess is a show of lack compassion for Nigerians.
The women group condemned the continuous cases of kidnapping and bandits attacks which have expose women and children to untold hardship with a rise in sexual violence, stressing the need for government to perform the primary function of safeguarding the lives and properties of its citizens.
The statement noted, “in the midst of this crisis, Womanifesto finds it unimaginable that the National Assembly extended it’s holiday after a 3-week Christmas and New Year recess. This action, we believe, reeks of non-chalance and lack of empathy by those elected to represent the interest of Nigerians. This action is grossly unacceptable to us.”
The statement reiterated that, the safety and security of Nigerian citizens, especially women and children, which should be top priority of the government, has been rigorously threatened for years and has now come to a climax where citizens are being kidnapped from their homes in broad daylight.
“Nigerians have felt the brunt of this crisis and have had to crowdfund ransoms payable to criminals. Despite this, victims of kidnappings are still being murdered by criminals, leaving the nation in a dire state of distress.
“In the midst of this crisis, Womanifesto finds it unimaginable that the National Assembly extended it’s holiday after a 3-week Christmas and New Year recess. This action, we believe, reeks of non-chalance and lack of empathy by those elected to represent the interest of Nigerians. This action is grossly unacceptable to us.
“As enshrined in Section 14(2b) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the welfare and security of the citizens shall be the primary purpose of the government. The Constitution also guarantees the right to life, liberty, and personal security of every Nigerian citizen.
While applauding the recent efforts by security agencies in rescuing some of the kidnapped victims, the coalition demand that the government takes concrete steps to ensure the safety of its citizens.
They charged security forces to be anticipatory rather than reactionary.This the group stated includes, increasing security measures, providing support to victims of violence, and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions. We also call on national lawmakers to prioritize this issue and take swift action to address it.
“The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reveals that over 380 people were kidnapped in Nigeria between December 1, 2023 and January 3, 2024. The number of reported kidnapped persons in Nigeria between June 2022 and July 2023 increased to 3,620 an analysis of data from SBM Intelligence reveals. Additionally, government statistics for Abuja show 40 kidnapping cases involving 236 victims between January 2021 and June 2023. We however believe that the exact number of people kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024 may be higher.
“The people of Nigeria deserve to live in peace and security, and it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that this is the case. We urge national lawmakers to take immediate action to address the insecurities and kidnappings in Nigeria.”