…As ADP Says President Buhari Right Person to Hold Responsible for Security Failure

The President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressive Congress (APC), has been told that the primary responsibility of the president and the ruling party, according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is to secure the lives and properties of all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic, religious affiliation or the region they come from.

The Action Democratic Party (ADP), which stated this, then called on President Buhari to step up and live up to his responsibilities of securing the lives of residents in Oyo State, where cases of kidnapping, banditry and illegal entrance by invaders have been on the rise in recent times.

The party had, in a similar call in the past, raised an alarm over the invasion of the state by some Jihadist fundamentalists, who were reportedly camped at Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State. The area is one on the boarder post to other international communities, surprisingly, there was no response of the government to that.

The activities of Bandits and other criminal elements, terrorizing, kidnapping, killing and maiming innocent residents, around Oke-Ogun, Saki, Ibarapa and others, is becoming unbearable, which has led to series of protests by the people in those areas and call for urgent collaboration of the Federal and the state governments, to be able to frontally tackle the growing insecurity in these places.

In a statement signed by the ADP’s National Publicity Secretary, Prince Adelaja Adeoye, on Tuesday, the party equally called on the President not to keeping looking, while every parts of country is consumed by Insecurity.

The ADP noted that such won’t be a good legacy after the President’s exit at the expiration of his tenure in 2023.

Adelaja also called on critical stakeholders in South West, not to allow but totally reject what appears as importation of Insecurity to the region, canvass for more support for Amotekun Corps, who has been helping in their own ways to flush out these criminals.

According to Adelaja, he said, politicians, especially those in the South West APC, should avoid playing dirty politics with the issue of this Insecurity, calling on them to come together and avoid name calling or blame game, bacause everyone is open and vulnerable to being victim of this ugly security situation.

This is coming on the backdrop of the successes recorded by the Amotekun security outfit recently, “for their gallantry effort in confronting some bandits and militias in the forests, where they were reportedly camped, and said to have been terrorizing, killing farmers and others innocent people across South West State.”

Adelaja stated further that, “if we should critically examine the security situation in every parts of Nigeria, the outcome as usual, will be a sad tale, due to our weakened security architecture.

“The honest expectations of Nigerian people is that, Mr. President should be able to seek for help from independent security experts, stakeholders, so that they can join him in building a formidable security network, that will properly protect our citizens.

“However, despite the continuous call by Nigerians, members of the legislative arms, for President Buhari to replace the service chiefs, he appears unbothered for a reason best known to him, while the security situation continues to deteriorate.

“The governors who do not have the power to command or control Federal police, are at the mercy of Presidency in the case of security concerns and challenges.

“Some of them, who came up with alternative solution with their security votes, such as Amotekun, are still facing all manners of resistance from those who are hell bent on playing politics of blackmail and bitterness with the lives of the people.

“In actual fact, Governors are called Chief Security officers of their States, but the smacking reality is far from that, because it is only the President that have the constitutional power to direct IGP, and his State commissioners to swing into actions.

“This is one of the reasons, there must be restructuring or call it devolution of power, so that a workable system that will truly serve and protect all citizens would be put in place.

“The report of kidnapping in Lagos, Ekiti, Kogi, Benue, Ogun, Ondo, Niger, Kaduna, Enugu and other States, has continued to lead to heightened tension, unfortunately, people have been blaming the governors who are not constitutionally empowered to summon Police and other security agents to perform magic.

“While the efforts of our security agents must be commended, there is need for the President to holistically review their operations and introduce new tacts, compensations and other ideas, that will make them be more effective”, ADP said.

Adelaja said, while the initiative of Amotekun is laudable, aimed at supporting Federal Police in combating crimes, there must be operational synergy amongst them, referencing a particular matter where Amotekun apprehended some criminals in Oyo State, but Police in the same State refused to detain them for further investigation.