APC Chieftain wants death sentence for kidnappers, criminals and their collaborators

A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has affirmed that there is no reason why Nigeria should not consider the introduction of death penalties for both the criminals and their collaborators who have perpetrating acts of insecurity such as kidnapping in the country.

Lukman said Nigeria needs to forge stronger national unity in the country to be able to initiate the kind of reforms, which can produce the expected outcomes and include the issue of stiffer sanctions for both the criminals and their collaborators, much more than what is provided in the country’s current laws.

According to him:”Nigerians need to wake up to the reality that preventing or arresting criminal activities such as kidnapping and banditry cannot be achieved by massaging our ethnic and religious sentiments. These are criminal activities that can hardly succeed without the collaboration of community and religious leaders. In fact, there are also strong allegations of even collaboration of security officials”.

The Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) in a statement on Thursday in Abuja titled:

“Caution on Divisive Campaigns and National Security Challenges”, indicated support for the order by the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi for herdsmen to vacate forests in the State.

He said: “The objective of the Ondo state government was well articulated, which is to ensure that the forest reserves in Ondo State are disallowed from being used as hideouts for kidnappers, bandits and other criminals.

“No Nigerian, or indeed any rational person, irrespective of nationality, can oppose this laudable objective of the Ondo State government. Mallam Garba Shehu wouldn’t have disagreed with the objectives as expressed in the statement of Governor Akeredolu. But somehow, from all the media debate going on, this is hardly the case.

“The response to the statement of Governor Akeredolu by Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), on January 19, 2021, is generating all manner of debate, which is completely at variance with the intended objective announced by Governor Akeredolu.

“The debate also completely departs from Mallam Garba Shehu’s ‘call for restraint on both sides and urge the state government and the leadership of Fulani communities to continue their dialogue for a good understanding that will bring an urgent end, the nightmarish security challenges facing the state.’

“Since the release of the statement by Mallam Garba Shehu, the usual divisive politics has been activated. Afenifere, Arewa, Christian groups and many Nigerians are engaging the issues, sadly in ways that may only compromise or distract our leaders from being able to summon the courage to ‘reform, modernise and move our nation forward’.

“Ensuring that Forest Reserves, and indeed all forests, not just in Ondo State but in every part of the country are prevented from being used by kidnappers, bandits and all criminals, which as Mallam Garba Shehu correctly indicated should be given every urgency given the ‘nightmarish challenges’ it poses. This calls for courage on the part of our leaders to be able to initiate any viably effective reform.

“It is also very clear to any rational observer that any proposal for reform may be interpreted along divisive lines and many public commentators, may prioritise debating matters of interpretation rather than the substantive proposal for reform. This necessitate that our leaders should be able to demonstrate higher decree of caution in making public statements about policy proposals, especially those that could potentially activate our national divisive fault lines.

“Without therefore attempting to pass any judgement on our leaders, one would have wished that in the first place, Governor Akeredelo, rather than issuing a public statement on the matter, invite the leadership of Miyetti Allah and all other groups and directly engage them on strategies of enforcement of initiatives to secure all Ondo State forests, including the ban on night grazing. In which case, what may likely come to the public should have been agreement between Ondo State government and the groups on matters of implementation of reform initiatives.

“On the other hand, if Ondo State government was unable to engage groups and its decision to initiate reform as announced by Governor Akeredolu portend the possibility of violating provisions of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended, given the powers of the Federal Government, rather than a public statement of caution by Mallam Garba Shehu, one would have rather recommend that the appropriate agency of the Federal Government invite the Governor, discuss the matter and agree on the best way to achieve the laudable initiative of the Ondo State government and accordingly inform Nigerians about the way forward.

“To make a public statement of caution suggest some disagreement between the Federal Government and Ondo State government about the desirability of reform as announced by Governor Akeredolu, which is not likely the case.

“Most of the frenzied media responses on both sides is really not about achieving the laudable objective of arresting all the criminal activities going on, especially kidnapping and banditry, in every part of the country. Most times, once our divisive fault lines are activated, our emotions and sentiments, religious, ethnic and all rest, take the best part of us. Our disposition speed off the tracks of all rational considerations. With hardly any exception, both ordinary citizens and leaders behave in the same way. We need to recognise that, no matter what, the kind of criminality going on in the country require that we are united as citizens to be able to resolve it. Criminality thrives in every part of the country with the active support of local community leaders across all ethnic and religious divides.

“As things are, every Nigerian should recognise that we are in emergency situation. The false divisive notion of any group initiative independent of others resolving our security challenges can only worsen the situation. “We vs them” public debate, which appears to dominate our national conversation today, especially regarding our ‘nightmarish’ security challenges is unfortunate.

“We must caution ourselves as Nigerians to rise beyond our sentiments and emotions. Above all, we must also appeal to our leaders to be much more circumspect in engaging these issues. Rather than making public statements, which can activate our fault lines, our leaders should be able to develop stronger strategies of engaging all Nigerians, especially our organisations in order to contract and mobilise implementation of agreements”.