The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has tasked the security agencies to go after armed bandits that abducted unspecified number of pupils and teachers from a secondary school in Kagara, Niger state.
The party also charged the security agencies to rescue the captives before any they any harm befalls them. They were abducted on Wednesday morning.
In a statement by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party condemned the reported killing of one of the pupils and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant.
It also called on patriotic Nigerians to continue in rallying around the opportunities created by democracy in the effort to rescue the nation from misrule and ensure lasting security in the country.
The PDP said it’s alarmed by the recent escalation of banditry in Niger state as well as other parts of the country and decried the failure of the federal government to tackle the scourge.
It expressed dismay over the incessant coordinated bandit attacks in many communities in Niger state and the inability of the security agencies to protect the people.
The statement said: “Bandits were reported to have on Tuesday, moved from village to village, supported by a helicopter, as they pillaged our compatriots, sacked major highways and held communities in Niger state hostage for several hours without any counter attack.
“The PDP describes as revealing that while the people of Niger state and Nigerians in other states were under attack by bandits, APC leaders, including those in Niger state, were busy pursuing their party’s phony membership re-registration exercise, instead of rallying security and rescue efforts for the people.
“The lethargic stance of the APC administration towards the fight against banditry further validates reports in the public space that the bandits are connected to the APC and enjoying cover under the ruling party.
“This probably explains why the APC never raised a strong voice against what has become a national calamity. Instead APC leaders are patronizing the bandits and making excuses for them.
“The public space is awash with reports that many of these bandits terrorizing Nigerians were political mercenaries brought in by the APC from neighboring countries to help it enforce the rigging of the 2019 elections, but which the APC and its leaders failed to settle after the elections, leaving them to unleash their frustrations on innocent Nigerians.
“Our party charges the APC to speak out on these reports and take immediate steps to settle their political mercenaries, return them to wherever they brought them from and bring an end to these gruesome attacks on Nigerians.” (NAN)
