The Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria is alarmed by the recent escalation of banditry in Niger State as well as other parts of the country, following the failure of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressive Congress administration to take decisive step to tackle the scourge.
The party also condemns the reported killing as well as the abduction of students of the Government Science Secondary School Kagara, Niger State by bandits, who invaded their school this morning.
The PDP tasks security forces to go after the outlaws and rescue the children
Nigerians were jolted by the Tuesday’s coordinated bandit attacks, kidnapping and killings in several communities in Niger State.
Bandits were reported to have on Tuesday, moved from village to village, supported by a helicopter, as they pillaged our compatriots, sacked major highways and held communities in Niger state hostage for several hours without any counter-attack.
The PDP describes as revealing that while the people of Niger state and Nigerians in other states were under attack by bandits, APC leaders, including those in Niger state, were busy pursuing their party’s phoney membership re-registration exercise, instead of rallying security and rescue efforts for the people.
The lethargic stance of the APC administration towards the fight against banditry further validates reports in the public space that the bandits are connected to the APC and enjoying cover under the ruling party.
This probably explains why the APC never raised a strong voice against what has become a national calamity. Instead, APC leaders are patronizing the bandits and making excuses for them.
The public space is awash with reports that many of these bandits terrorizing Nigerians were political mercenaries brought in by the APC from neighbouring countries to help it enforce the rigging of the 2019 elections, but which the APC and its leaders failed to settle after the elections, leaving them to unleash their frustrations on innocent Nigerians.
Our party charges the APC to speak out on these reports and take immediate steps to settle their political mercenaries, return them to wherever they brought them from and bring an end to this gruesome attacks on Nigerians.
While commiserating with the victims of the Niger attacks, the PDP tasks the security forces to go after the bandits as well as rescue the Kagara school children before any harm comes upon them.
The PDP further urges Nigerians to remain vigilant and wary of the APC and its activities. It also calls on patriotic Nigerians to continue rallying around the opportunities created by democracy in the effort to rescue our nation from misrule and ensure lasting security for our country.
