The Director-General, Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman said every police, security personnel, traditional and community leader, located within Kankara or in routes where the over 300 kidnapped students of Government Science Secondary School (GSSS), Kankara in Katsina State would have passed should be arrested and tried.
According to him, everywhere such incidences take place, police, security, traditional and community leaders should be the first line suspect, they should be made to prove their innocence by producing the culprits, failing which, they should be convicted.
Lukman who made these suggestions Tuesday in a statement dedicated to over three hundred students at Government Science Secondary School (GSSS), Kankara, Katsina State by Armed Bandits on Friday, December 11, 2020, said the country is dealing with a problem that is worse than armed robbery.
“Our Governors and our legislators in state assemblies should really act expeditiously on this matter. But to be able to succeed, the capacity of states to enforce laws must be strengthened. Without any hesitation, anybody debating whether or not to have state police is simply part of the problem. As it is now, if we need to have private police in order to protect the lives of Nigerians, nothing should stop us. In any event, what is left?
“As part of the strategy of strengthening law enforcement, questions of responding to challenges of criminal justice system in our states must be treated with the urgency required. As our states are taking all of these urgent steps, we must as a party, APC, take the recommendations contained in the Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Committee on True Federalism very seriously. There is no reason why after two years, the report is yet to get to the National Assembly. This is where the APC tripartite consultative committee, chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo with both the party Chairman, HE Mai Mala Buni, Senate President, HE Ahmed Lawan, Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiala and PGF Chairman, HE Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, serving as members, can help the nation by facilitating consideration of the recommendations by all the arms of government”, he said.
Read also: Kankara school kidnap: Abductors have made contact with us- Masari
The PGF Boss noted that, more than any moment in the life of the APC administration at the federal level, this is the time when President Muhammadu Buhari is dearly required to demonstrate his no-nonsense toga, which is what earned him the love of ordinary Nigerians.
“If he will move to arrest all security personnel, traditional and religious leaders who are suspected to be accomplices to the current wave of kidnappings, the murder of Nigerians and all the organised crimes taking place in the country, Nigerians will strengthen their support for our government to bring to an end this atrocious activity clearly syndicated by callous citizens, which may be supported by some security operatives, traditional rulers and community leaders. Enough is Enough!
“Every day, Nigerians wake up with grieving information about kidnappings, armed banditry, attacks and murder of innocent citizens by Boko Haram in the North East and in other parts of the country by bandits and criminals. Often, Nigerians get worrisome reports about how some of our security personnel and traditional rulers collude with criminals to successfully execute attacks on citizens, including kidnappings and other criminal activities, which consumed the lives and properties of innocent Nigerians. Certainly, without the collaboration of security personnel, traditional rulers, community leaders, and citizens, how can over 500 school children be taken without clear information of their whereabouts for more than 72 hours.
“Elementary knowledge of the area in question will convince any discerning mind that it is either the kidnap of GSSS Kankara students was done by combined operations of security personnel, traditional rulers and community leaders in the area or the security personnel, traditional rulers and community leaders are collaborators in the exercise. Given that those who carried out the kidnap would have passed through villages and communities to where they may be hiding now, how much information has been volunteered by the adjourning security posts, traditional rulers, community leaders, and citizens in the villages in the routes leading to the location where these school kids are being held, hostage?
Or could it have been the case that more than 500 people can sneak past security posts and villages without being seen by both security operatives, traditional rulers, community leaders, and citizens? It is difficult to avoid the suspicion that a whole community or village may be playing host to these kidnapped children. This clearly reflects how rotten our Nigerian society is. This is not a simple matter of deciding on choices. It is a matter of life and death.
“Today, it is Kankara students in Katsina State, which affected over 500 children initially, with more than 300 still missing. In February 2018, it was over 110 Dapchi students of Yobe State. In April 2014, it was over 270 Chibok schoolgirls of Borno State. Leah Sharibu and more than 80 schoolgirls are still being held more six years after. Just about two weeks ago, more than 70 Zabarmari rice farmers were murdered.
“We need to challenge our security agencies to be accountable. Every Nigerian is at risk. The hard truth is that the enemy is among us with the highest possibility that a section of our security agencies may have joined or are collaborators with the enemy. The situation requires thorough introspection by not just our security agencies but also the imposition of severe sanctions against security personnel, traditional and community leaders where kidnappings, banditry, and all the crimes consuming the lives of innocent Nigerians are taking place”.
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