The federal and state governments have been called upon to urgently address the security threats through proactive policing, timely arrest and judicious prosecution of perpetrators to serve as a deterrent to others.
This is coming at the heels of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Zone D’s bi-monthly meeting held over the weekend. The association frowned at the growing insecurity in the North Central zone with recurring attacks on communities particularly in Benue and Plateau states, with the attendant consequences on women and children.
The meeting was attended by Chizoba Ogbechene, vice president, Juliana Ofuko, zonal secretary, Annah Daniel, Zone D BoT, and Anne Olurinde, zone D ex-officio.
The women journalists appealed to the Federal Government to equip the security agencies to be able to counter the firepower of the insurgents and other non-state actors, harping on the need for the deployment of more sophisticated weaponry as well as surveillance technologies in the war against violent crimes in the country especially in the zone.
The female journalists raise concerns on the disruption of education of children displaced by the attacks and the need ensure in the main that these pupils do not drop out of school and add to the teeming number of out -of-school children in the country, urging the wife of the president and the first ladies in the affected states to not only empower women in the affected areas, but to ensure that the education of the children is not cut short.
They also commended the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) for early warnings about heavy rainfall and identifying flood prone areas across the country as well as warning of possible flash floods.
NAWOJ Zone D, however, calls on the Federal Government to seek permanent solution to flood prevention encompassing both structural and non -structural measures including construction of dams, drainages and adherence to early warning signs by citizens.
NAWOJ also appealed to residents of riverine and flood-prone communities to relocate to higher grounds and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to create robust awareness on dangers of flooding.
