The Presidential Candidate of Poeples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar said there is a need to amend Nigerian constitution to allow for state and community policing as a first line of security.
He said this while reacting to attack on a train station in Igueben LGA of Edo State on Saturday evening.
Tribune Online reports that over 30 travellers waiting to board a train from Igueben in Igueben Local Government Area of the state to Warri in Delta State, were kidnapped by suspected herdsmen on Saturday evening.
The incident, according to Edo State Police Command, occurred around 4 pm on Saturday.
Atiku in his reaction posted on his verified Twitter handle on Sunday while condemning the attack said Nigeria need to modify its security apparatus to pay a greater premium to intelligence gathering and crime prevention than our current reactive approach.
In his words, “It is unacceptable for terrorists to plan attacks of this nature, mobilise arms and ammunition, secure funding and move large numbers of people across large spaces without detection by security agencies.”
The PDP Presidential Candidate also made case for the deployment of technology toward tracking these terrorists and degrading their existing capacity to attack our people across the country.
“Apply the diplomatic pressures needed to stem the free flow of light arms and assault weapons across the West African sub-region and our borders. By doing this, we will severely restrict the capacity for terrorists to re-arm themselves to execute attacks.
“Greatly reducing the numbers of out-of-school children on our streets and improving the economy to create jobs for vast numbers of unemployed Nigerians, thereby reducing the pool from which these terrorists recruit people for their nefarious activities.
“I firmly believe that these actions will go a long way towards reducing incidents of insecurity and providing the secure environment needed for economic growth.
“And I commit to implementing these initiatives if Nigerians trust me with their mandate and elect me as their president next month,” he concluded.
