By Olugbenga Salami
National Legal Adviser of Accord Party, Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem, has said the last Sunday attack on the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left about 50 worshipers dead, is an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari is overwhelmed as the Chief Security Officer of the country.
Mgbudem, in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja, lamented that Nigeria is currently at crossroads, which he said requires concerted effort by every stakeholder for a lasting solution.
He said: “Protection of lives and properties is the primary responsibility of the government. This is clearly stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, so any government that cannot guarantee this has failed in its basic obligation to the citizens.”
According to him, the brazen and wanton wastage of innocent souls can only portray that Nigeria is on a way to becoming a failed State, which he said must be reversed immediately, especially given the huge human emergency it will create across West Africa.
Mgbudem, who is also the National Vice Chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, regretted that the security agencies have consistently failed to detect such ugly attacks before it happens, saying the arrogance with which the terrorists carry out their evil acts leaves much to be desired of the Nigerian security and intelligence community.
He, however, warned that if government fails to take urgent steps to rein in terrorism and their sponsors, the county may be thrown into anarchy due to reprisal killings, which he said will ultimately bring the existence of Nigeria to an ugly end.
While commiserating with the families and victims of the attack, Mgbudem challenged both the state and federal government to work in synergy with the security agencies to track down the perpetrators of the dastardly act, saying it is one too many to be swept under the carpet.
He also raised the alarm over how human lives have lost their sacred value, citing the recent incidents in Sokoto and Lugbe area of Abuja, where the late Deborah and Usman lost their lives in an extrajudicial manner, which he regretted that should not be heard of in a decent society.
To this end, he said the government’s refusal to take harsh measures against such incidents has emboldened the culprits to either believe there is no government or that the government is weak to bring them to book, hence they have sustained the nefarious activities.
He, therefore, he urged Nigerians to vote massively for the Accord Party candidates across the country, saying the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC have no clue on how to address the security and economic challenges facing Nigeria.
The top politician also called for State and community Police, adding that the government of Accord Party will mark a departure from the status quo ante, which is threatening the peace and unity of the country.
