Worried by the deteriorating security situation in the north western part of the country, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Katsina and Zamfara states which have been at the centre of the more gruesome killings in the last few days.
It will be recalled that in the last two months, more than 140 lives have been lost in a wave of violent attacks including on worshippers in a mosque in Katsina state.
In a statement issued by the National Publicity secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, it noted that the relentless killings by armed men was symptomatic of Nigeria’s collapsed security architecture and criticised the federal government’s handling of the crisis.
while expressing outrage over the recent massacre in a mosque in Katsina state, the party linked the incidence to a broader pattern of violence in the region, including the killing of 47 people in Zamfara, 38 of whom were executed, even after ransom payments were made.
“This evil act epitomises the horrors that Nigerians have been forced to endure under this administration. It is also a damning proof of the total collapse of our national security architecture, which has prompted even the nation’s chief of defense staff, CDS, to ask citizens to learn how to defend themselves’’ the party said.
The party condemned President Tinubu prioritization of international engagements over urgent domestic crises, noting that the lives of the people of Nigeria should matter to the president.
“It is disheartening to note that instead of confronting these national tragedies with the seriousness they demand, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to jet-set across the world, chasing photo-ops, while his people are dying in dozens at home,” the party added.
Speaking on the recent meeting of the governors of the Peoples Democratic Party in Zamfara state, the ADC said it was an indication that the PDP was more interested in grabbing power than caring for its people.
“Instead of rallying around their beleaguered colleague to help stop the orgy of killings, they chose to stage a political rally at the scene of mass murder.
‘’The photos of PDP governors in full ceremonial robes, grinning for the camera, are totally out of place in an environment that still reeks of blood and sorrow.’’
Beyond the call for a state of emergency, ADC urged the federal government to overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture.
“The recent call by the chief of defence staff, CDS, for citizens to acquire self-defence skills is perhaps the most honest indicator yet that there is need to rethink the entire internal defence system,” it said.
