The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned Thursday’s killing of an innocent Nigerian by the security operatives in Warri, Delta state.
The party also condemned reported brutalization and harassment of Nigerians in other parts of the country by security forces under the pretext of enforcing the lockdown order.
The entire country is virtually on lockdown as part of measures to stem the spread of Coronavirus currently holding the world to ransom.
In a Press Release signed by party’s spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan the PDP noted that such acts of violence against Nigerians cannot be condoned or justified for any reason whatsoever.
It said therefore that the President and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should be held accountable for the military’s misbehaviour.
The statement further read: “The party calls on Nigerians to hold the Buhari Presidency and the APC responsible for the Warri killing as well as the reported brutalization of Nigerians, noting that such ugly situations would have been averted if the APC controlled Federal Government had heeded wise counsel by the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians and made adequate provisions for social palliatives that cushioned the economic challenges of the lockdown.
“The APC government had failed to shelve its political interests and heed good suggestions to implement calls to cut taxes, reduce fuel price and use the states and local governments to channel essential commodities to poor Nigerians whose means of survival comes only from their daily struggle on the streets and markets.
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“The APC government has also failed to constitute an Eminent Nigerian Group to administer the palliatives and eliminate all political and bureaucratic bottlenecks that are now encumbering easy flow of social panaceas, leading to poor Nigerians coming out to seek for survival on the streets.
“The PDP further blames the APC and its administration for embolden ING acts of violence and extra-judicial killings by security operatives following their failure to bring perpetrators of such acts to book as even detailed in reports by various reputable international organizations including Amnesty International (AI), Transparency International (TI), European Union (EU), United States Department of State.
“This is in addition to APC’s tacit endorsement of President Muhammadu
Buhari’s usual directive to security operatives to “deal ruthlessly with” sundry offenders. Such statement is capable of being translated as license for cruelty and abuse of human rights by over-zealous security operatives.
“The PDP invites Nigerians to continue to note how the APC has remained silent and failed to join in the call for provision of adequate social palliatives to the citizens as well as in demanding that killers be brought to book.
“Moreover, the APC has not made any meaningful suggestion towards efforts to check the spread of COVID-19 in our country. Such anti-people stance by the APC speaks volumes of the standpoint of the party on issues related to the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“The PDP however stands with Nigerians and calls on the Military High Command to commence an extensive investigation into the Warri killing as well as other reported brutalization of Nigerians during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and bring all the culprits to book.
“Furthermore, our party calls on Nigerians to remain calm and not despair over the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated challenges, noting that with the concerted effort of all, our nation will soon defeat the pandemic.”
