PDP condemns rice farmers’ slaughter by Boko Haram in Borno

▪︎ Tasks Buhari to double down on security

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday condemned the gruesome beheading of 43 innocent farmers by insurgents in Zabarmari, Borno state.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party described the act as extremely wicked and devilish.

It said the act must not be left unaddressed.

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The main opposition party noted with pain that “this horrific killing of compatriots comes as yet another of the recurring horrid testaments and badges of failure of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration to secure our nation and guarantee the safety of lives and property in our country.

“Indeed, our party is distressed by the escalated killing and maiming of innocent Nigerians by insurgents, bandits and marauders, who have continued to ravage and pillage our communities, while the lazy and lethargic Buhari administration continues with its lip service, rhetoric and false performance claims.

“The PDP is particularly disturbed because of the failure of the Buhari Presidency to take decisive action despite series of concerns raised by Borno state governor, Baba Gana Zulum, of security compromises in the state.

“The Buhari administration appears helpless while our national security structure under President Buhari seems to have collapsed. Our nation appears to be on auto pilot with no one in charge while the ship of state continues to drift.

“All our nation gets from the Buhari Presidency is that ‘Mr. President is shocked’, ‘Mr. President is saddened’, ‘Mr. President regrets’ and such lame responses without any decisive policy direction or directive to definitively tackle the situation at hand, leading to escalation of killings in our country.

“Such attitude by the Buhari administration has continued to embolden insurgents to the extent that they now attack military formations, convoys of state governors and engage in wanton beheading of our compatriots,” PDP said.

The party further stated that it was distressing that despite this sorry situation, President Buhari, who promised to lead from the front, had receded into the safety of Aso Presidential Villa and refused to act on the consistent demands of Nigerians to rejig the national security architecture and replace the service chiefs with more capable hands to affectively tackle our security challenges.

The PDP charged President Buhari to stop his unhelpful rhetoric.

The party said the President should sit up and take actions that would safeguard the lives of Nigerians who have been subjected to all manner of mental and physical torture under his incompetent administration.

“Mr. President should immediately move to Zabarmari in Borno state, empathize with the families of the victims and lead from the front in restoring security in the area.

“Our party commiserates with the government and people of Borno state and urge Nigerians to remain at alert particularly in providing useful information for our security agencies in this fight against insurgency in our land,” PDP said.