The Middle Belt Leaders Forum (MBLF) has lambasted the Northern Governors Forum for insisting on the retention of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the Northern part of the country.

National Publicity Secretary of the forum, Dr. Dogo Isuwa, told Daily Sun that the governors are on their own and certainly not speaking for the North.

He said it is tantamount to political insanity to support the retention of the dreaded SARS in the North when no part of Nigeria has suffered banditry and insecurity like the region.

His words: “I find it amusing that they would come to say that they do not want SARS disbanded. They said SARS should be reformed and be retained in the North because they have helped and I wonder where they have helped when banditry and insecurity in the North have multiplied at geometric rate.

“Are they saying that the SARS are better than the Army and that the Army has failed and the SARS should replace them? Are they saying that SARS are better than the Army and the Air Force put together? How is it that SARS have not been able to stop the killings and kidnappings going on in the whole Northern zone particularly on the Abuja-Kaduna highway that you have these criminals on a regular basis?

“Something is wrong with the brains of the so called Northern governors. What the youths are doing is more for the interest of the armed forces and Police than the youths themselves.”

He said the Middle Belt Forum totally disagree with the governors considering the level of insecurity of lives and property in the Northern region for a long time.

“Plateau State for instance is the theatre of the banditry and the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven is in Plateau. For years now in the Middle Belt, we have been suffering the issue of banditry and kidnapping. If you have battalions of the Army fighting these vices all these while and they have not been able to stop it, is it the SARS that would now stop it? Does it not make nonsense of the way of reasoning and thinking of the Northern governors?

“The Northern governors are not speaking for the majority. They appear to be paid agents. Anybody who is sincere in the North would agree that there is no part of the North that is at peace now. These people have been there from time immemorial and they did not talk until now when the youths are rising and they now say they have come to see Buhari to tell him that they do not want SARS to be disbanded. Has the SARS not been there for ages? That is political insanity because no right thinking person would reason that way”, he said. SUN