Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed suggestions for negotiations with terrorists, arguing that Nigeria must take strong action and accept international support to combat the rising insecurity.
Obasanjo, speaking at the Plateau State Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival in Jos, the state capital, on Friday, urged the Federal Government to cease apologizing and dealing with terrorists.
His appointment comes amid an increase in killings, abductions, and other attacks on many Northern towns in recent weeks.
On November 21, 315 kids and 13 instructors were taken from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
The abduction occurred after terrorists seized 26 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, Kebbi State, on November 17.
Bandits attacked the Palaita village, Erena Ward, Shiroro Local Government Area, Niger State, abducting 24 persons, including pregnant women, from a rice plantation.
Bandits abducted approximately 20 people in Kano and Kwara between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
The development comes just 24 hours after 38 congregants kidnapped from the Christ Apostolic Church in Oke-Isegun, Eruku, Ikere, Kwara State, on November 18 were freed after the Federal Government bargained with their captors.
Ten people, including a pregnant woman, nursing moms, and toddlers, were reportedly apprehended in the attack on Tuesday in Isapa, a few kilometers from Eruku in Kwara State.
Speaking at the Jos event, Obasanjo highlighted his concern with the escalating insecurity, saying Nigerians have the right to seek foreign assistance to compensate for what he regarded as the government’s failure to safeguard residents.
“No matter what religion you belong to. No matter where you come from. No matter your profession, we Nigerians are being killed, and our government seems to be incapable of protecting us.
“We are part of the world community. If our government cannot do it, we have the right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us,” he said.
Obasanjo argued that, unlike during his tenure, contemporary technology has made it easier to apprehend terrorists from their hideouts.
He said, “Before I left the government, I knew we had the capacity to pick up anybody in Nigeria who commits crime anywhere. The capacity we didn’t have then was after identifying and locating such a criminal, we couldn’t apprehend him without moving on land or by air.
“Now we have capacity. With drones, we can sleeve them up. You can take them out. Why are we not doing that? Why are we apologizing? Why are we negotiating?”
