The Arewa Youth Assembly for Good Leadership, AYAGL, has paid a condolence visit to His Royal Highness, the Etsu Nupe, over the deaths of 37 persons reportedly held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Minna, Niger State.
In a press statement issued on Friday in Abuja and signed by its President, Alhaji Danbature Abdul, the Assembly said it commiserates with the families of the deceased, the Niger State Government, the traditional institution and the people of the state.
The group said it recognizes the grief, anger and concerns generated by the incident and urged that every legitimate question surrounding the deaths be properly investigated.
The Arewa Youth Assembly commended the leadership of the NSCDC and the Federal Government for what it described as immediate steps taken following the incident, including the suspension of the Niger State Commandant and other officers connected with the matter, and the establishment of an independent investigative process.
The Assembly called for the investigation to proceed transparently and without interference, with appropriate accountability based on its findings.
It also commended youths and residents of Niger State for exercising restraint despite anger and grief, saying the decision to avoid taking laws into their own hands was important to preserve lives and public order.
AYAGL further called on young people across Niger State and the wider North to reject drug abuse, criminal associations and manipulation by non-state actors who lure them into banditry and other criminality.
The group drew attention to broader security challenges confronting Northern Nigeria, including banditry, kidnapping and illegal mining-related criminality, and urged the Federal Government to strengthen intelligence gathering, inter-agency coordination and community-based security measures.
While appealing to citizens and youth organisations to exercise restraint and allow the investigation to establish facts, the Assembly cautioned that calls for demonstrations at this moment should be weighed against the need to prevent further loss of life, destruction of property and exploitation of grievances by criminal elements.
“Justice, accountability and security must go together. The lives lost in Niger State should not be reduced to statistics; they should strengthen the resolve of all levels of government and society to ensure that such an incident does not recur,” the statement said.
The Assembly said it stands with the Etsu Nupe, the Niger State Government, the families of the deceased and the people of Niger State in this period of grief.
