Declare State Of Emergency On National Security Now –PDP

• Peoples Democratic Party, call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, restated its call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security in the country.

This came as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) berated President Muhammadu Buhari for not speaking out on the violence and killings that have characterised the #EndSARS protests across the country.

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But the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria has accused some unnamed pastors and other individuals of masterminding the civil unrest.

The PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, at a press conference in Abuja, said the response of government was inimical to national cohesion and peace.

He accused the Federal Government of falling to take urgent steps to address the demands of the protesters for the two weeks the protests lasted before it was infiltrated by hoodlums, leading to violence in several parts of the country.

“For nearly two weeks today, Nigeria youths have been revolting through a peaceful protest against police brutality as mirrored by a unit of the Nigeria Police force called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad more known as SARS.

They have been carrying out this constitutional obligation peacefully across the country without any molestation and registering their grievances appropriately to relevant authorities.

“The Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu swiftly responded to the youth outcry by disbanding the notorious SARS, replacing it with SWAT, an action that did not go down well with protesters who demanded instead the total and unconditional overhaul of the entire nation’s security architecture.

“This responsibility rests squarely with the federal Government who controls and manages the Police force But rather than do something urgently as a committed and civilized government, the federal government under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari chose instead to remain mum in the face of the people’s legitimate outcry for attention and justice.

“PDP finds the glaring snobbish silence of the President as unacceptable as it paved the way for the deployment of the military to murder innocent harmless Nigeria youths

The PDP chairman added “As the needless bloodletting rages, our President, the Commander in Chief, Muhammadu Buhari has continued to keep mum behaving exactly like Nero who played fiddle while Rome burned.”

In its reaction, CAN called on the president to immediately use some soothing and soft words to calm the nerves of the angry youths and strongly assure them that government would act with dispatch on their agitations.

The christian umbrella association insisted that government should also bring the gun-happy uniformed men to book.

CAN President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle Olasupo, who addressed journalists in Abuja, also condemned the alleged Tuesday’s shooting by the military which led to lost of lives, and also angered the youths who then went on rampage.

“Whoever ordered the shooting of unarmed citizens on legitimate protest crossed the red line and had caused more pains for this nation and many parents.”

However, Sheik Nafi’u Baba-Ahmed, secretary of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, told journalists in Abuja, that some of the Christian clerics have fueled the crisis through their unguarded utterances, knowingly or unknowingly.

“It’s unfortunate and disheartening that some individuals, including notable Christian clerics who are expected to caution their followers and help contain the escalating violence, choose to aggravate it through their unguarded and provocative utterances.

“We strongly believe that these utterances which, sometimes, come from the pulpit helped to turn what was presented as a patriotic undertaking into a religious and regional conflict as being witnessed across the country.

“For purpose of records, armed mobs have attacked Muslims and their places of worship and businesses around the country in the name of #EndSARS protest.

This was clearly seen in Apo and Dutsen Alhaji in Abuja, Port Harcourt in Rivers state, Sabon Gari in Kano state, Aba in Abia state, and various other locations in Lagos state.”

Opposition lawmakers threaten to drag FG to ICC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives has threatended to the drag the Federal Government to the International Criminal Court in The Hague over alleged attack and killings of peaceful protesters by security agents.

The caucus made the call in a statement by its leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers) in Abuja at the end its emergency meeting.

Chinda said the caucus had risen in solidarity with the Nigerian people to condemn the brazen attack on armless citizens who were only expressing their fundamental human rights as permitted in every democratic society.

He said the lawmakers frowned at the mindless killing of constituents who were already demonstrating against unresolved cases of extra judicial killings perpetrated orchestrated by security agents.

“We advise the president to immediately order the arrest and prosecutions of officers involved in the Lekki killings and urgently rejig the nation’s security architecture through commendable reforms.

“We advise the appointment of more competent service chiefs to handle the myriad of security challenges confronting the nation.

“We call on the president to urgently address the nation on the strategies of the government towards tackling the issues with time lines.

“The caucus calls for the withdrawal of the military from the streets of Lagos and other parts of the country where human rights’ abuses are reported.

“We urged the Federal Government to consider the agitators’ demands, which include the suspension of the ill-timed response of renaming FSARS to SWAT,” he said.

Chinda called for the adoption of the 2014 National Conference report for consideration by the National Assembly.