Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, came down hard on the Federal Government over alleged poor handling of the nation’s security noting that the situation is akin to ceding the country to terrorists.
The group in a statement described a recent confession by President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, as “very unfortunate and an admission of failure” by the government.
Shehu had admitted in an interview with the BBC claimed that the government was “deceived” into releasing the detained wife and children of a terrorist leader without reciprocal freeing of the abducted Abuja-Kaduna train attack victims.
However, Afenifere in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Jare Ajayi said: “In view of the fact that government is expected to possess superior power in virtually everything above others in a country; considering the fact that the primary responsibilities of the government are the provision of security and welfare for the people; and considering the fact that the current administration has failed to provide either security or welfare for the people of Nigeria in recent times, one may not be wrong to state that President Buhari’s government has greatly lost the confidence, trust and hope invested in it at inception. It is a pity. ”
“Shehu, on Friday, had said, in part: “The commander of the terrorist group requested that the government release his pregnant wife, which was done. The government even took her to the hospital for safe delivery and she delivered twins.
“The government went further to show him his wife and the twins so that he would believe and see that the mother and the babies were in good condition.
“We then handed over his family to his parents. Unfortunately, after all this, he failed to honour the agreement reached. We were deceived.”
Afenifere’s spokesman maintains that Shehu’s disclosure confirms suspicion and allegation that have been in the public domain for a long time, to wit: government not only knows the terrorists, it is aware of where they are. He said: “Why the government refuses to confront them and put an end to the needless losses and agonies of Nigerians is a riddle one finds difficult to unravel.”