A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, said Nigerians were extremely frustrated with the federal government’s failure to tackle the insurgency in Nigeria’s Northeast.
He said Nigerians should brace up to defend themselves against the extremist Boko Haram sect.
Mr. Abubakar, who is a presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, APC, noted that despite the Federal government’s claims of having the situation under control, the sect had continued to mount a bloody campaign against Nigerians; killing and maiming people and overrunning territories.
“First of all, I must confess that I am extremely frustrated with the Federal Government because this insurgency has lasted far too long,” he said. “It is more than five years now. Nigeria has got all that it takes to eradicate it within a couple of months but it has been allowed to set up for too long. I don’t believe that there is a rare capacity on the part of the Federal Government to tackle the insurgency in the Northeast.”
He questioned the rationale of the Federal Government in not employing its capacity and capability to tackle the insurgency within a few months.
He decried the wanton killing and displacement of innocent people.
He said if the attention of the Federal government had not been diverted to less important matters the issue of securing the lives and property of the people in the Northeast should have been given topmost priority.
“Nigerians should press on government to take drastic measures to really bring the insurgency to an end,” he said
Mr. Abubakar urged the federal government to employ a holistic approach to drastically addressing the insurgency.
“People must stand resolutely in the face of the attacks and not abandon their towns, women and children,” he said. “People must not wait for soldiers to protect them. There are even instances where soldiers on ground ran away in the face of attack.”