The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria is now at the mercy of bandits and kidnappers under “a nearly ineffective government,” following a spike in mass abductions in the country.
He said this on Wednesday in a series of posts on his X handle, in the wake of kidnapping of 150 persons in Gobir Emirate of Sokoto State.
Daily Trust reports that bandits abducted over 150 persons and rustled over 1,000 cattle in some villages in Gobir Emirate of Sokoto State.
The incident happened a few days after the Emir of Gobir, Alhaji Isa Muhammad Bawa, who was also the District Head of Gatawa, died in kidnappers’ den.
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The monarch was, on July 29, kidnapped alongside his son and six others on the Sokoto-Sabon Birni Road.
Obi, in his post, said he was still reeling from the shocking news of the tragic murder of the Emir of Gobir.
“Yet, even those words now feel insufficient to convey the weight of one’s feeling of tragic loss. This most recent atrocity marks the tipping point in the decline of a failing state. The fact that, according to widely circulated reports, the terrorists returned to the emir’s domain, abducted 150 innocent people, and stole 1,000 cattle, after his brutal murder serves as a grim indication of the continued collapse of our national security infrastructure.
“We are now at the mercy of terrorists and bandits, with a nearly ineffective government to protect us. This is not just a tragedy, but a national emergency,” Obi said.
He said that Nigerians demanded decisive actions, not empty rhetoric, to confront this crisis, adding he advocated for a declaration of war on insecurity, the food crisis, and poverty, but some people twisted his call.
“It’s time for us to take collective responsibility. We cannot stand by as our nation deteriorates to this unacceptable level. We must revive our commitment to the safety and security of all Nigerians. Enough must now be enough,” Obi said.
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