2015-03-19 09:02
Abuja - The Borno Elders Forum has advised displaced residents of
territories newly reclaimed from terrorists by the military against
returning to their homes.
According to the elders, it is too early
for the displaced residents to returned back home as terrorists had not
been eliminated, despite significant success by the military.
Chairman
of group, Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, said what should be
paramount in the minds of everyone is the reconstruction of the
reclaimed territories that were totally destroyed by the insurgents.
“We decided to speak as a matter of urgency to quickly respond to an emerging decision that is being contemplated, " he said.
He
noted media reports suggesting some key leaders contemplated the
immediate or urgent return of refugees displaced from their communities
and are either living at Internally Displaced Persons' camps.
These
are in Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Abuja, the FCT, Lagos among
others within Nigeria or taking refuge in neighboring Cameroon, Chad and
Niger Republic.
"We
are disturbed by thoughts and speeches being made towards returning
displaced persons to these communities that have just been reclaimed,”
Galtimari said.
The forum added that their concerns had nothing to do with procedures regarding the March 28 and April 11general elections.
“We
are an apolitical forum whose sons have respectful rights to be
associated with any registered political party of their choices. Our
focus is our citizens. We have an obligation towards all sons and
daughters of Borno State as elders of the state.”
The leaders pleaded that displaced people should under no circumstance be disenfranchised in the forthcoming election.
Galtimari
advised that the forthcoming elections should hold and that internally
displaced persons should be allowed to vote from their camps as earlier
agreed by Independent National Electoral Commission.
"If elections
will hold in volatile nations like Afghanistan and Iraq there should be
no reason to deny Nigerians under any condition of exercising their
civic rights. We cautioned that reasons should be prevailed for the
nation to continue to be in peace.”
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