Federal Government Must Stop Politicising Security – PDP

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Comrade Ini Ememobong, has called on the Federal Government to halt what he described as the politicisation of security matters in Nigeria.

Ememobong made the call on Wednesday, 26 November, during an interview on the AIT programme ‘Democracy Today’, a political magazine show.

He noted that insecurity has now grown into a massive criminal economy, stating that “a National Bureau of Statistics (NBC) shows that banditry, kidnapping and terrorism is a trillion Naira economy.”

Condemning situations where officials appeal to bandits and kidnappers to release victims, the PDP spokesman urged the Federal Government to instead “issue the order that there must be complete cessation” of insecurity nationwide.

He emphasised that the core issues around insecurity were not being addressed, arguing that current government strategies only fuel the problem.

According to him, “as long as there is demand, there will be supply.”

Ememobong described as dangerous a situation where “state actors like the police and the people in government” openly admit to holding discussions with armed bandits. “There is no law allowing us to bear arms in this country,” he said.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary further criticised what he called the “reactionary and simplistic disposition” of the Federal Government to insecurity and other national issues.

Referring to President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the National Assembly on states seeking to set up local police, he questioned the operational clarity behind the move, “What would the parameters be? How would they interface with the Federal Police?”

On the matter of ransom payments, Ememobong urged the government to be transparent about whether such payments are made to secure the release of victims.

He also faulted what he described as the administration’s overemphasis on media optics, saying images of the President seated with Service Chiefs often dominate the media “even when the real work remains undone.”

Reacting to the new presidential directive for the recruitment of more personnel into the police and other security agencies, he expressed doubts about the effectiveness of deploying inadequately trained recruits to tackle complex security threats.

He argued that what is truly needed is the political will to ensure that the armed forces engage decisively whenever they are on the frontline of battle.

Ememobong, however, expressed happiness that the National Assembly has reached a point where matters of insecurity are being treated with patriotic zeal.

Speaking on the future of his party, he expressed confidence that the political space will remain open to all opposition voices, noting that “a democracy that must thrive, will thrive on competition. It mustn’t thrive on emasculation.”

While predicting possible internal crises in parties composed of conflicting interests, he emphasised that the PDP is on a deliberate path of rebuilding.

He emphasised that the PDP is being repositioned along the line of transparency, truth and as a pan-Nigerian party.