Former president of the Senate, David Mark, has called on the federal government to declare armed herdsmen killing and sacking communities as terrorists, urging the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to be proactive in tackling the high level of insecurity in the country.
He stated this in a goodwill message by his special adviser on media, Paul Mumeh, on Sunday in Kano, to commemorate this year’s Easter celebration.
Mr Mark bemoaned the unabating violent crimes, especially in the North Central states of Plateau and Benue that had claimed lives and properties.
According to him, the menace of violent crimes, kidnapping and armed herdsmen, devastating parts of the country, is becoming worrisome and needs to be tackled headlong.
He suggested that such violent and murderous groups perpetrating the acts, should be declared as terrorists and should be treated as such.
“We must not shy away from the truth. If they are not terrorists, why are they killing people, destroying communities and chasing people away from their ancestral homes,” he said.
Mr Mark decried the unending activities of armed herdsmen, suspected to be behind the killings and kidnappings.
According to him, their activities are unacceptable and should not only be condemned, but be prohibited in its entirety, as nobody has the right to take anybody’s life.
On the unabating murderous attacks on several communities in Benue and Plateau, he called on the federal government to proscribe open grazing in all parts of the country.
Mr Mark, who decried the carnage going on in the two states, said that a debilitating disease deserves a more serious medication, if it must be cured.
Rather than the open grazing, he called for the establishment of an enclosed ranching, as was being practiced in other climes.
The former Senate president, whose Otukpo, Benue South country home had been under suspected herdsmen attacks, called for a more inclusive approach to tackle insecurity in all ramifications.
He called for the establishment of a well-equipped Border Security Forces (BSF) to halt the influx of suspected criminals into the country.
According to him, most of these suspected herders killing the citizens, take advantage of the porous nature of the borders, by streaming into the country unchecked, from other neighbouring countries.
“We must not allow criminal elements to stream into our country. We must change our strategy. Maybe, we can begin to think of fencing our borders like India, Israel, the U.S. and Mexico,” he said.
He said that when established, the National Border Security Force (NBSF) would not only be saddled with the mandate of policing the porous borders.
“It will also have the mandate of fighting terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes,”he said.
He commiserated with the people and governments of the two states and all those who lost their loved ones.