The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the National Assembly to as a matter of urgency, use its legislative instruments to intervene in the deteriorating security situation in the country, once plenary resumes on Tuesday.
The party also called on the legislators to use their legislative instruments to invite the Presidency for an appropriate briefing as a prelude to decisive step towards ensuring adequate security in our country.
The PDP made the call in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan on Sunday in Abuja.
According to Ologbondiyan the party’s position was informed by the alarming 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.
He described the report as distressing, especially as its indices showed that insecurity and deaths from acts of terrorism increased in Nigeria in spite of promises by the current administration.
The PDP spokesman said that the IEP rating had further confirmed his party’s position that the security of lives and property in Nigeria called for review of security architecture, as presently composed.
“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.
He
said: “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.”
Ologbondiyan urged the National Assembly to prevail on the President to take a decisive step in ordering the apprehension and prosecution of perpetrators of acts of terrorism in the country.
These, according to him, include the mass killing in Benue, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Ekiti and other parts of the country.
He said “failure to track down and prosecute the perpetrators of heinous crimes had continued to emboldened marauders, insurgents, bandits and kidnappers to further ravage communities and major highways.”
Ologbondiyan however, saluted the gallantry and patriotism of Nigeria troops fighting and daily risking their lives in all fronts.
