Alia, Obi decry lack of strategy to curb insecurity
As violence ravages parts of the country, including Taraba, Benue, and Kogi states, former presidential candidate and Labour Party (LP) stalwart, Peter Obi, has condemned the federal government’s response to what he described as “a national wound that is bleeding in silence.”
The latest wave of attacks, marked by mass killings, destruction of homes, and widespread displacements, has left dozens dead and hundreds mourning.
But while the death toll rises, official condemnation has been sporadic, and action has been slower.
Obi, therefore, demanded something more than condolences, insisting: “This is not just violence, it is a failure of leadership and a gaping wound in the soul of our nation. These are not mere statistics – these are Nigerians. Our people. Their lives matter.”
In a statement, the former governor of Anambra State challenged both the government and the citizens to confront the crisis head-on.
“When children are butchered and villages are burned, and we do nothing, we are not a country – we are a ghost of one,” he said.
SIMILARLY, Benue Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has decried the seeming inability of security agencies to contain the worsening insecurity in his state.
Alia, who spoke through his media aide, Sir Kula Tersoo, lamented that even with the deployment of additional security personnel and visits by security chiefs, not a single terrorist had been apprehended.
He was reacting to criticism by a faction of the Benue All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, which accused his administration of lacking the capacity to handle the myriads of security challenges bedevilling the state.
The factional APC camp, while referring to the herdsmen attacks, which claimed 42 lives, accused Alia of being helpless and confused, calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
“What more do they expect from the governor? He has worked tirelessly to address the security crisis.
“His efforts are evident in the visits by the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, other top security officials, and even the National Security Adviser.
‘More security personnel have been deployed, yet, sadly, no terrorist has been arrested. The governor has supported these operations by providing 300 motorcycles to ease the mobility of the security forces,” the media aide said.
ALSO, Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Internal Security, Joseph Had, has hinted that terrorists move weapons across boundaries in the guise of herding cattle.
Delivering a paper during a colloquium at College of Health Sciences, Fr Adasu University, Makurdi further, Had submitted that the problem of insecurity was multi-faceted.
He said foreign nationals like the Chinese have now cashed in on insecurity to allegedly bring in mercenaries to displace the local populace and mine their mineral resources.
The security aide claimed that the dealers in weapons also deploy cattle as carriers and an efficient way of transporting their nefarious goods.
He maintained that most of the weapons being used by terrorists and bandits were brought into the country by foreigners masquerading as herdsmen, who traverse the country’s porous borders.
He represented Governor Hyacinth Alia, who was special guest of honour at the event, themed, “Democracy and Governance: Towards addressing the persistent contemporary challenges of sustainable development in Benue State.”
