Bimbola Oyesola and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Against the backdrop of worsening insecurity, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to expose those playing politics with lives of ordinary Nigerians.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, who stated this, yesterday, flayed some faceless groups for discrediting, discouraging and demonising credible, progressive and patriotic voices speaking out against the spate of violent crimes, insecurity and killings across the country.
Wabba recalled that recently, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State and other well-meaning Nigerians came under attacks from “hired gongs and masked town-criers whose penchant is to play the Ostrich on behalf of their sponsors while Rome burns.”
Ayuba, who decried the statement purportedly issued by the military warning governors against criticising the resurgence of insecurity, called on President Muhammad Buhari to rejig the nation’s security apparatus.
While saluting the gallantry and sacrifices of troops fighting insurgency in the North East and North West, he said no person or institution was beyond criticism, especially by the people they serve.
“Our first response is to doubt that such statements actually came from our military high command. If it is true that such statements truly emanated from an institution that is supposed to be under the sovereignty of the people, as reposed on elected democratic leadership at all levels, then it is quite unfortunate.
“Even the blind knows that the resurgence of insecurity in the country has taken very extreme dimensions. As we noted in our recent press statement on insecurity in Nigeria, many communities in the North East and North West geo-political zone of Nigeria have been deserted for a long time owing to the prevailing insecurity.
“The lives of our fellow compatriots, many of whom are workers, have been turned into a living hell due to the protracted security challenge in the country. So, many lives, families, dreams and prospects have been torn asunder and many people have been inflicted with scars that may never heal throughout their life time. And some people want Nigerians to be quiet. No way.
“We need to try new tactics and new capable hands. Enough of the bloodshed already! We refuse to be reduced to a land of blood, tears, misery, fears and pains. Nigerians will not be cowed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nasarawa Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said bandits dislodged form the North-West and North-East were responsible for security challenges confronting the state due to the hilly and rocky terrain of the state.
He said, however, said hunters as well as vigilante groups have been able to track them because they are more familiar with the hilly terrain.
Sule spoke to State House Correspondents after a courtesy visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.
He assured that his administration will not rest on its oars in apprehending the criminals through the hard work of the military, police and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the State.
Sule said: “The hunters, as well as the vigilante groups in Nasarawa State are able to follow because they are very familiar with the places.
“The criminals in Nasarawa State are new, they are not from Nasarawa State, so as a result of that our own people are more familiar with the ground and are able to follow where they are.
“We have both; we have some of the bandits that were dislodged from the North West and the North East and they found some of these hilly places, in Nasarawa State we have a lot of rocky places and they’ve found some of those places comfortable so they moved to those locations and as a result of that, we followed up to ensure that we tracked them based on what they do. There are people who actually go on the way to the villages and the cities and sometimes kidnapped people and we follow them and we also have armed robbers. We have all the three in Nasarawa.
“By the grace of God we have a very good Police Commissioner in Nasarawa, excellent Director of DSS and a fantastic Director for Civil Defense and they all work together along with all the military installations that we have. We have about three military installations now; we have the 177 in Keffi, we have the Special Forces and then we have the Wild Stroke, all of them work together in synergy and we are able to make sure they help us in taking care of most of these criminals.”
The governor who commended the Federal Government for support in the area of addressing insecurity, added that his visit was also to brief President Buhari on the insecurity challenges as well as the success or the election in the state midst COVID-19 challenges.