The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday described as bloodletting the recent killings in Kogi state and asks President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly end the dastardly act.
The opposition party is laying blames for the unabated killing and violence in various parts of the country on security lapses under the present administration, saying it is clear manifestation of failure of the President Buhari-led administration to prosecute killers and perpetrators of violence in our country.
Insisting the killing is totally unacceptable, the PDP in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, specifically condemned the killing of about 23 innocent Nigerians by marauders in Tawari Community in Kogi state, recently.
The party, however, said Buhari is not living up to his billings and that it was high time a decisive step is taken to end the prevalent killing and bloodletting in the entire country.
PDP said instead of resorting to issuing pointless press releases and condolence messages, without corresponding action to end the scourge, the President should do something practical to address the security breaches.
It said: “the PDP notes that the invasion of the helpless Tawari community and the killing spree, which reportedly lasted unrepressed for several hours, despite earlier security apprehensions in the area, points to government’s direct negligence to its primary duty to protect the people.
“Our party recalls that no decisive steps have been taken to prosecute the perpetrators of mass killings that shook our nation in Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, Kano, Niger, Rivers, Ebonyi, Abia and of course Kogi state, under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
“It is indeed disheartening that the APC administration is now trying to reduce the functions of the office of the Commander-in Chief of our nation to issuing press releases and condolences message each time marauders invade communities and massacre defenseless compatriots, instead of tracking down and dealing with the perpetrators.
“Such failures by government embolden killers, insurgents, marauders and kidnappers who have now virtually taken over our highways and holding citizens hostage in their homes, forests and caves,” it stated.
Consequently, the PDP is demanding an immediate step from the Buhari to end wanton killings and bloodletting, to secure lives of the citizenry.
According to the party, the nation cannot afford “to continue to be a large funeral palour and a country where citizens have to contend daily with the fear and pain of death.”
“Our party therefore charges President Buhari to brace up, heed the cries of Nigerians and immediately rejig his security architecture by injecting new blood into the system.
“While commending the patriotism of our gallant troops in the front, the PDP insists that the security administration must be rejigged to ensure an effective confrontation of the security reality across the nation.
“The PDP commiserates with the victims and families of those killed in the Tawari attack and bloodlettings in other parts of the country.
“The party called on security agencies in the state to beef up security in the areas as well as take up the challenge to track down the killers,” Ologbondiyan stated.
Solomon Ayado, Abuja
