The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Thursday reaffirmed its belief in a united  Nigeria and berated ethnic agitators calling for the disintegration of the country.

This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the ACF’s Board of Trustees meeting in Kaduna chaired by Malam Adamu Fika.

The forum said it was “embarrassing’’ that some elder statesmen were making statements capable of causing disaffection among the various components of Nigeria.

It called on such agitators to employ civility and caution in their utterances for peace and harmony to prevail in our fledgling democracy.

The ACF expressed total support to the effort of the Federal Government in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency and saluted the courage and patriotism of troops fighting the war.

“The meeting also condemned the rampant kidnapping and ritual killings of innocent people and urged the security agencies to not only track down perpetrators of such crime but ensure that they are brought to book.”

On efforts to track looted funds, the ACF said the steps so far taken by the federal government were appropriate.

“The steps taken by the Federal Government to investigate, prosecute perpetrators and repatriate stolen public funds are not only appropriate and timely but will also sanitise the system and revive prudence and discipline in the conduct of public officers.

“The meeting therefore applauded the international cooperation and support the Federal Government is receiving in the effort to recover and repatriate all stolen funds.”

It also noted the lull in the economy and urged various levels of government to boost economic activities and generate employment.

The ACF cautioned state governments against diverting allocations to local government councils, noting that the so-called joint accounts “in most cases has been a conduit pipe for misapplication and abuse of state funds”.

“The meeting also called upon all tiers of government to address the issue of payment of backlog of domestic debts especially local contractors bills, workers and pensioners emoluments which will equally revive economic activities,” it said.