The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has thrown its weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s order to withdraw nearly 100,000 policemen from VIP duties and their deployment to fight insurgency and banditry, as part of their core responsibility of internal security.
In a statement titled: Insecurity in Nigeria: A Nation in Free Fall by the National Chairman, on Tuesday, the party which said insecurity was rapidly worsening in the country, added that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, should be replace if he fails to restore the nation’s security within six months. if he fails, he should be replaced.
The party said “In just a few days, the country has descended further into chaos, marked by brazen mass abductions, targeted killings, and coordinated terror attacks across several states, including Kebbi, Zamfara, Kwara, Kano, Bauchi, Yobe, Sokoto, Borno, and Niger.
“What is unfolding is nothing short of a systematic assault on the sovereignty of our nation and the dignity of its people.”
Bello called for the involvement of communities into the security architecture by mobilising, organizing and empowering them, saying “they possess vital human intelligence for tracking the movements and supply networks of criminal elements.”
The party lamented that the country has experienced one of its most horrifying waves of abductions in recent history, adding that “over 315 students and teachers have been forcefully abducted from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State—yet another brutal attack on our children, our future, and our collective hope.
“This tragedy has been followed by the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi, the killing of a police officer and a vigilante in Patigi, Kwara, as well as five additional police officers in Bauchi.
“Furthermore, eight members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were killed, with three others abducted by terrorists in Gwoza, Borno State. In Yobe State, one policeman was killed in an attack by terrorists in Geidam. Additionally, four rice farmers were murdered in an attack by terrorists in Kwara State’s Edu Local Government Area.
“These attacks are compounded by the killing of top security operatives, including Brigadier General M. Uba, and the continued infiltration of terror infrastructure from Sambisa Forest to other regions—exposing a dangerous truth: Nigeria is steadily losing control of its internal security architecture.”
He said the government must establish effective presence in these communities by providing educational and employment opportunities for the youths to wade off criminal elements, finding fertile recruitment ground for their nefarious objectives.
The FG should “immediately arrest and prosecute anyone, regardless of their status, found to have aided, abetted, supported, or provided cover for terror attacks. Those who threaten Nigeria’s unity must face justice now.”
The party asked the FG to “cease all private negotiations or engagements with terror-linked groups or individuals, regardless of intent. Such actions undermine state authority and make non-state actors stakeholders in the security process. The government must take full responsibility for all official engagements relating to national security moving forward.”
The government should also “undertake a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s intelligence and security frameworks, backed by accountable leadership, measurable targets, and transparent reporting to the Nigerian people.”
