The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately convoke a National Security Conference to address the current insecurity in the country.
Secondus stated this in his address at the Emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, on Thursday (April 29, 2021) at the Wadata Plaza in Abuja.
He noted that the NEC meeting was necessary to enable the party meet up with some statutory matters as it related to the November 6, 2021 governorship election in Anambra state and also to act on the frightening developments in the country that required that critical stakeholders to go beyond the rhetoric and reactions of the National Working Committee (NWC) on national issues, to deliberate and act on the situation.
“Our country today is grounded by insecurity and there has been no marching response from government despite the demands of the 1999 operating constitution in section 14 sub section (2b) that “the welfare and security of the citizens shall be the primary purpose of government.
“Terrorists in the North before were confided to the North East region but today 50 villages have been reportedly taken by them in North Central state of Niger. Where they are now, we hear is about two hours drive away from Abuja.
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West, Gunmen causing havoc in the East and the militants in the South all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad, Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The National Chairman of the main opposition party in the country added that the deplorable security situation in the country was already saturating the local and international media space.
He said on a single day, bandits kill DPO, eight policemen and two vigilantes in Kebbi state, sdfing that 19 people were killed in Igbariam in Anambra state while abductors killed two students of Greenfield University in Kaduna State.
He continued: “Hoodlums attacked Lagos state university and destroyed several vehicles; gunmen killed nine persons around Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University; gunmen attacked soldiers at Amasiri, Ebonyi state; the police Area Command in Okigwe South was attacked, burnt and five policemen killed; Boko Haram hoisted flag in Kaure, Niger state; Boko Haram killed an officer and some soldiers in Mainok.
“Gunmen kidnapped hotel owner, his wife, three children, five guests and a staff member; terrorists took charge of Borno’s ungoverned spaces and highways; gunshots everywhere in Ama Hausa and Douglas Road Owerri and another security formation attacked in Rivers state, and soldiers feared Killed.”
He further stated that travel guide recently released by the United States for their touring citizens based on their intelligence gathering listed 14 states that they should avoid for security reasons.
Secondus said Kano state government had announced the closure of schools in the state due to security threat.
He said fear of attack had clearly frustrated schooling system in the North West, adding that the record of student abduction in Kaduna states alone had been unprecedented.
“Hardly a day passes without incident of killing, kidnapping, etc., in the state. This is notwithstanding the high concentration of security operatives.
“Your Excellencies, leaders of our great party, the picture out there is worse than I have even painted because there are other many unreported cases.
“The banditry and herdsmen menace are taking huge tolls on our food production as farmers avoid their farms to be alive.
“Clearly, anarchy is being let lose on the people with the government unable to provide any resistance. We have therefore invited you to enable the party as the main opposition in the country add its voice to the worrisome situation with a view to saving not just democracy but even the country,” he added.
He said the APC led-government had swallowed its pride and now invited international community to help out.
Secondus said this ought to have been done long ago instead of pretending and spilling innocent blood.
“For us as opposition, any sacrifice to stop the endless bloodletting of innocent citizens should be activated including but not limited to immediate convocation of National Conference on security for a comprehensive and all-embracing deliberations on the future of this country.
“All the ‘noise’ for 2023 will amount to naught if the security challenges are not drastically addressed,” he said.
He called on the NEC to note this critical matter with a view to offering the necessary advice to the government at all levels for prompt solution.
He said this had become necessary as nothing, not even 2023 was realistic if security issues were not adequately addressed.
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