ACF urges Buhari to extend no-fly-zone to Niger, Benue, Taraba, Borno

Yusuf Bello| The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Wednesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the no-fly-zone ban on Zamfara to other northern states affected by banditry.

In a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna, the Forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, said ACF’s National Chairman, Audu Ogbeh, commended the directive and hailed the release of abducted girls.

According to the statement, Ogbe, however, said there was need to replicate similar directive in other states such as Benue, Taraba, and Borno where there are rumours that helicopters frequently drop arms for bandits and insurgents.

“Arewa Consultative Forum congratulates the people and government of Zamfara state on the safe release of the kidnapped schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School in the state, the statement read.

“We are also happy with the federal government’s decision to ban flights in the state.

“We also plead with the government to extend the ban to other states like Benue, Taraba, Borno where there are rumors that helicopters frequently drop arms for bandits and insurgents operating in these states.

“We believe that such an extended ban will curtail the operations of the criminals in these areas.”

It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari after the National Security meeting on Tuesday declared Zamfara “a no-fly zone” and also and banned all mining activities in the state.

The directive, disclosed by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, followed the release of 279 students of the Government Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata-Mafara Local Government Area earlier abducted by bandits.