In a press statement jointly signed by its National President, Dr. Usman Oladipo Akanbi, and General Secretary, Dame Joan Oji, ANA decried the alarming rate of ritual killings, banditry, and targeted murders, often fueled by religious and ethnic tensions.
The association also expressed deep concern over the growing trend of jungle justice, where individuals and communities take the law into their own hands.
Citing the Ilobu/Ifon crisis in Osun State and the gruesome killing of Hausa hunters mistaken for kidnappers in Uromi, ANA warned that such incidents are escalating tensions, particularly in the Hausa-Fulani dominated northern region.
Describing the killings as brutal and deeply unsettling, ANA criticized the Nigerian security forces, acknowledging their efforts but lamenting their inability to curb the bloodshed.
The association called on the federal government to launch a thorough investigation, ensure justice is served, and implement stronger measures to prevent future occurrences.
ANA further emphasized the need for a comprehensive national reorientation programme aimed at promoting a cultural rebirth to combat cultism, ritual killings, fraud, corruption, ethnic bias, religious extremism, and other social vices.
“Our Association strongly condemns the Uromi killings and other violent incidents spreading across the country. While calling on the government to act, we also urge Nigerians to exercise restraint and cooperate with law enforcement agencies,” the statement concluded.