Mahmuda terror group, again, struck in Kwara State, in Karongi town of Baruten Local Council, leaving one person dead and many houses razed.Also, gunmen, same day, opened fire on the vehicle conveying a commissioner in Abia State, Chaka Chukwumerije, in Umuahia.

   Worried by the security situation, former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, has criticised the President Bola Tinubu administration’s focus on the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, arguing that such large-scale infrastructure projects should not take precedence over security and economic fragility.

   The Mahmuda bandits reportedly invaded the town in the morning and killed a resident before setting some houses ablaze. According to witnesses, the bandits took advantage of the absence of the local vigilante, who were undergoing training in Ilorin, the state capital, while others travelled to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir outside the community.

   It was learnt that the gunmen, who had a field day in the community between 6.00 a.m. and 11.00 a.m., were, however, dislodged by the combined team of soldiers and vigilante men from adjoining settlements in the area. Though the police did not confirm the Sunday attack, the army and the Emir of Yashikira, Umoru Sariki, confirmed the incident to newsmen.

   The Emir said: “Yes, the bandits from the Mahmuda group struck about 6.00 a.m. on Sunday. They attacked Karongi town in my Emirate. They killed one person and burned many houses in the community.

   “They took advantage of the absence of vigilante men, who travelled for Sallah while some had also gone for training. We had to go to the neighbouring communities to mobilise local vigilante who chased them away around 11 o’clock.”

   In a statement, yesterday, Dike Chukwumerije, brother to the Abia commissioner, confirmed the attack, noting that the shooting took place while the victim was returning from Okigwe to Umuahia.

   “He was on his way from Okigwe to Umuahia, when the car behind him opened fire. It was not his time to die. So, he and the three others with him escaped unscathed, though the car was riddled with bullets,” he wrote.

Chukwumerije, who has served as a commissioner under Governor Alex Otti of LP for the past two years, was praised by his brother for his integrity and dedication to public service.

   Obi, in an interview with Arise News yesterday, questioned whether it was logical to commit vast resources to infrastructural projects that will “lead nowhere when we have a crisis.”  He asked: “Are you saying that the coastal road is more important than securing Nigeria?”

   Stressing that security and production were the foundations of any functional economy, he said that without securing the country, even the most ambitious infrastructure would amount to a misplaced priority.

   According to him, the roads we have all over the country are no longer durable. “You fix those roads first and use your resources to secure your country. Security is far more fundamental than roads. Would you prefer a road to your village when you cannot drive to your village?

   “We are a government. We must secure our people, and it requires decisive action,” he added.