Nigeria’s terrorism rating distressing ― PDP

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has observed that Global Terrorism Index report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which ranked Nigeria as the third country with the highest level of terrorism in 2019 after Iran and Afghanistan is distressing.

It has, therefore, charged the National Assembly, to upon resumption, Tuesday, to urgently use its legislative instruments to invite President Muhammadu Buhari to address it on the deteriorated security situation in our country.

In a statement issued by National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja on Sunday, the party said its position is predicated on the alarming report.

According to the statement, “the report is distressing, particularly as its indices show that insecurity and deaths from acts of terrorism increased in Nigeria in spite of promises by the current administration.”

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The party noted that the IEP rating has further confirmed its position that the security of lives and property in our nation has gone beyond what the Buhari administration’s security architecture, as presently composed, can guarantee.

The statement added: “Our party posits that the issue of security has gone beyond partisan and sectional sentiments as well as propaganda and now requires concerted effort by all stakeholders to compel a review of security structure and method by Mr President.

“The PDP, as pan-Nigerian platform, urges the National Assembly to step in by persuading Mr President to heed wise counsel and rejig his security high command so as to inject new blood to tackle our security challenges.”

The party also urged the National Assembly to compel President Buhari to take a decisive step in ordering the apprehension and prosecution of perpetrators of acts of terrorism including the mass killing in Benue, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Ekiti and other parts of the country under the current administration.

It stated: “The failure to track down and prosecute the perpetrators of heinous crimes had continued to embolden marauders, insurgents, bandits and kidnappers to further ravage communities and major highways, beheading compatriots, killing, maiming and taking innocent citizens captives in droves, to the extent that our nation has become the third with the highest level of terrorism in the world.

“Indeed, this is not the way to go. Our party restates that such situation should not have been allowed to fester and degenerate to this abyss.”

While the PDP saluted the gallantry and patriotism of the nation’s troops fighting and daily risking their lives in the fronts, it charged the National Assembly to use its legislative instruments to invite President Buhari “for an appropriate briefing as a prelude to decisive step towards ensuring adequate security in our country.”