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By Seyi Babalola
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed suggestions for negotiations with bandits, arguing that Nigeria must take strong action and accept foreign support to combat the rising insecurity.
Obasanjo, speaking at the Plateau State Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival in Jos, the state capital, on Friday, urged the Federal Government to cease apologising to and negotiating with terrorists.
His position comes after an increase in killings, abductions, and other attacks on many Northern towns in recent weeks.
On November 21, 315 students and 13 teachers were abducted from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
The abduction came after the terrorists kidnapped 26 schoolgirls at the Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in the Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, on November 17.
In the latest assault, bandits struck the Palaita community, Erena Ward, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting 24 people, including pregnant women, from a rice farm.
About 20 people were also abducted by bandits in Kano and Kwara between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
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The development comes barely 24 hours after 38 worshippers abducted from the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegun, Eruku, Ikere, Kwara State, on November 18, were released after the Federal Government negotiated with their abductors.
In the Tuesday attack, 10 persons, including a pregnant woman, nursing mothers, and children, were reportedly seized in the Isapa community, a few kilometres from Eruku, Kwara State.
Speaking at the Jos event, Obasanjo expressed displeasure over the rising insecurity, saying Nigerians have the right to seek foreign intervention to cover for what he described as the government’s failure to protect its citizens.
“No matter what religion you belong to. No matter where you come from. No matter your profession, we Nigerians are being killed, and our government seems to be incapable of protecting us.
“We are part of the world community. If our government cannot do it, we have the right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us,” he said.
Obasanjo maintained that, unlike during his time in office, modern technology has made it easier to flush out terrorists from their hideouts.
The former president said, “Before I left the government, I knew we had the capacity to pick up anybody in Nigeria who commits a crime anywhere. The capacity we didn’t have then was after identifying and locating such a criminal, we couldn’t apprehend him without moving on land or by air.
“Now we have capacity. With drones, we can sleeve them up. You can take them out. Why are we not doing that? Why are we apologising? Why are we negotiating?”
