Lagos — The Action Congress (AC) has said the violence that swept across some states in northern Nigeria last week, leaving hundreds dead, could have been avoided if the Federal Government had been pro-active in dealing with the crisis.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said beyond the usual knee-jerk reaction to such crisis, the government must work hard to end the conditions that make it possible to attract and brainwash youths into joining such senseless, cult-like religious groups like Boko Haram.

,,An idle mind is the devil,s workshop. When millions of our youths are unemployed and there is no hope of a better tomorrow, they become easy targets for apocalyptic preachers and mindless religious zealots. The fact that the alleged second in command of the sect is a Nigerien also speaks volume about the security of our borders and the nation,s internal security. That is why this Federal Government must shake off its lethargy and address the myriad of problems facing this nation, so that our youths can channel their energies to productive ventures instead of becoming killing machines,,, it said.

AC also condemned the extra-judicial killing of the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Muhammed Yusuf, and the sect,s alleged financier and former Commissioner for Religious Affairs in Borno State, Alhaji Buji Foi, after both had been arrested.

The party said the reported execution of the leaders of the sect is a blow to Nigeria,s image as a country seeking to return to the path of the rule of law, after the eight years of sheer lawlessness under the anarchic presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.

,,No matter their offence, sect leader Yusuf and the group,s alleged financier are better of being alive than dead. After they might have been interrogated to get a treasure-trove of valuable information that could help prevent future violence, they could then have been tried in accordance with the law of the land. Executing them summarily is barbaric, unjustified and a big minus for the security agencies that did a lot to contain the violence.

,,The government must probe the circumstances surrounding the killings to prevent a recurrence,,, AC said, describing as an ,,after-thought,, the police argument that Yusuf died in a ,,crisis situation.,,

Calling for pro-active measures to nip future violence in the bud, the party said while the security agents did their own part in monitoring the activities of the sect and even arresting the sect leader Yusuf in November 2008, only for him to be released on bail by the court in January 2009, the Federal Government did not capitalise on the early warnings.

,,The Boko Haram violence and the incessant sectarian crises in Nigeria call for a different, pro-active approach by the government. It is now clear that whatever approaches the government has been adopting to stop these crises are not working.

,,The sect did not just emerge on the scene. It has been around under various names since 1995, and between then and now its members have launched several attacks against law enforcement agents and government infrastructure. Security agencies have also been monitoring and writing reports on the activities of the group.

,,Despite all this, the sect was still allowed enough space to destabilise five states within a week and cause the death of hundreds. This is a blot on Nigeria's image, and a great disincentive to foreign investors, especially considering the massive media coverage of the Boko Haram violence,,, AC said.