From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, said the statement by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Lai Mohammed, that the Federal Government is not duty-bound to prosecute kidnappers and bandits is an indication that the Presidency has allegedly capitulated before terrorists.
The party in a statement by, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the minister’s statement reveals that the Presidency is allegedly not interested in fighting insecurity.
“It is incredulous that the Buhari Presidency, in its failures, is abdicating a responsibility exclusively vested on it by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to operate all apparatus of national security; the police, military, paramilitary and all other armed services; to secure lives and property in all parts of our country. Perhaps, President Buhari and his Minister of Information need to be tutored that the Second Schedule (Exclusive Legislative List) clearly vested the control of all apparatus of national security on the Federal Government and not the states.
“Items 2, 28, 38, 45, 57 of the Exclusive List are clear in vesting the operation of the police, the military and other armed services; the control of arms and ammunitions as well as criminal records among other statutory paraphernalia of national security on the Federal Government and not the state. The APC and the Buhari Presidency needs to be tutored that bandits and kidnappers are terrorists and that in line with the provisions of our constitution, the agencies vested with the statutory responsibility of protecting Nigerians from such outlaws are under the control of the Federal Government. Now that President Buhari and the APC-led Federal Government can no longer guarantee the safety of lives and property, the only way out is for the National Assembly to immediately amend the constitution and establish state police to guarantee the security of Nigerians as already recommended by the PDP.”