The Federal Government’s habit of publicly pleading with kidnappers and bandits to release victims has been denounced by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ini Ememobong, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, reportedly stated that the government’s present strategy is making matters worse at an AIT program called “Democracy Today” on Wednesday. She emphasized that this is a weak approach that gives criminal groups more authority.
Instead, Ememobong called on the Federal Government to make a clear and firm order to put an end to all violent acts nationwide.
He asked the Federal Government to stop politicizing national security, warning that insecurity has become a highly organized operation.
He claims that available national data already demonstrates that terrorism, kidnapping, and banditry have grown into “a trillion Naira economy,” indicating that the issue has become considerably more complicated than the government acknowledges.
Ememobong emphasized that such actions convey the incorrect message to citizens, particularly in a country where it is illegal for civilians to carry weapons. He also accused government officials of indirectly legitimizing criminality by holding conversations with armed organizations.
He emphasized that when those with illicit weapons are able to sit across the table from state actors, it shows a breakdown of authority.
