By Akinwale Kasali
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has lamented the insincerity of the President Bola Tinubu administration in curbing the insecurity bedeviling the nation.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Candidate in the February 25th, 2023, Presidential Election said that attacks and loss of lives can be stemmed only when the Federal Government shows utmost determination to eliminate the threats by expanding the security architecture.
Atiku, in a statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, on Sunday said random and incessant killings and maiming of scores of people across the country such that recently happened in Barikin Ladi and Bokkos Local Government Areas of Plateau State called for tougher action by the government in terms of prompt and proactive measures.
“Those attacks can be stemmed only when the government shows utmost determination to eliminate the threats by expanding the security architecture in the country and fast-tracking the arrest and prosecution of those involved in such dastardly acts to serve as a deterrent, Atiku stated.
He expressed concern about the frequency of these attacks on innocent people by outlaws, noting that under no circumstances should murderous criminal groups be allowed to take life without immediate consequences from the government.
According to Atiku, “the rate at which innocent people are being massacred in Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara and other areas plagued by insecurity is embarrassing, adding that “only prompt and decisive action by the government can halt this madness.”
He observed that the calls for state police stem from the growing frustration with the government’s seeming helplessness to crush these outlaws.
The statement read in part “The spate of these attacks is also a sad testimonial to decadence in the judiciary because a situation where criminals are set free by the court without diligent trials is capable of dampening the morale of law enforcement officers and other security agencies.
“Atiku warned that abandoning the people to their own fate in the face of existential threats is not an option because protecting the lives and property of the citizens is a primary responsibility of governments anywhere in the world.
“But for his absence, the former Vice President would have visited Plateau to emphasise with the people of the affected communities. He, however, prays for the repose of the souls of the deceased, stressing that no resource should be spared in taking care of the maimed and displaced”.
