Atiku Laments: I’m Ashamed For The Worsening Security Situation In Nigeria, Calls For World Intervention
Former Nigeria Vice President Atiku Abubakar is worried at the frightening stage Nigeria has reached now in the area of sordid security situation where thousands of Nigerians are being killed daily even as other are fleeing their homes with the heightened Boko Haram attacks even as he begged countries that have successfully dealt with similar situation to come to the rescue of Nigeria.
Atiku said that houses and farms of the unfortunate citizens of Nigeria, especially in the North East, have been and are still being destroyed, adding: “things should never have got to this stage.”
Atiku further lamented that thousands of Nigerians today “do not know where to go or how to restart their lives. That is the degree to which we have come in this country. I say this with reluctance and with shame. The situation in which we find ourselves today is grave.”
Atiku made these lamentations today when he addressed world press conference in Abuja.
He express deep regret to learn that Mubi, which is one the largest towns in Adamawa State of northeast Nigeria, has been taken over by the terrorist group commonly known as Boko Haram.
“As you may know, in recent weeks and months, Mubi has been a town to which displaced persons from further north have fled for safety after their communities fell to Boko Haram. As I speak, the inhabitants of Mubi, together with those who went there for safety, find themselves at the mercy of this terrorist group.”
He lamented that much of Borno, and the north of Adamawa and Yobe states is already at the mercy of the terrorists. He recalled that the whole thing started a few months ago with the taking over of Bama, which is nearly 400 kilometres from Yola, capital of Adamawa State.
“The next major town to be taken by terrorists was Gwoza, where a terrorist caliphate flag has long been hoisted. Smaller towns near Gwoza such as Pulka and Limankra are equally not free. “Next was Madagali. The town is still being occupied. Then fell Gulak. Next was Michika, then Bazza. Next was the twin town of Uba which is half Adamawa and half Bornu. Its neighboring town of Lassa was also overrun. Uba was the latest town captured before the terrorists trampled on Mubi. “People from these troubled areas are now pouring into Yola for safety.”
Atiku said that as somebody who hails from Adamawa State, he is bound to be emotional at the fate of his people, regretting further that for whatever reason, the nation’s defence forces have been unable to cope and unable to defend the citizens.
While sympathizing with the soldiers who found themselves in a situation not of their making, the former Vice President described the situation now prevailin as “a crisis of leadership.”
Atiku wondered how it was possible that a great nation like Nigeria should find itself in a situation where a handful of terrorists is able to invade a town as large as Mubi with a population of about 300,000 even after the government had assured the nation that the budget for security would be enlarged so that the security agencies and military would be in a better position to tackle the insurgency.
He posed other questions as to how were the insurgents able to so easily take a town of this size, and the people find themselves defenseless and undefended?
“How is it that the people have been made to suffer as they have?”
He recalled how he had previously spoken about the deteriorating security situation in the country on a number of occasions and that on such occasions he had deliberately restrained himself from speaking in a manner that might be construed as distracting the government and the security forces as they grappled with the dire security situation.
“But the scale of injustice the people of Nigeria are suffering has reached a stage where I am obliged to amplify my concerns. Many of our citizens, unable to come to terms with why a so-called “Africa’s best army” has been unable to confront this horrendous situation, are increasingly assuming that this whole thing is about electoral politics.
“They suspect that the seeming inability of the government to end the crisis is a ploy to weaken some parts of the country ahead of the 2015 elections. Can we, in all honesty, blame them for having those suspicions?
“I call upon the international community to help us. I am making a special appeal to countries with sufficient know-how and experience in tackling terrorism to increase their assistance to us.
“The relief agencies that are already working here should please double their efforts. And all people of goodwill should help in any way they can and to do more than they have been doing to alleviate the pain and suffering that we Nigerians face through this insurgency.”
Atiku said that at a time when Nigerians are being bombarded with horror stories of ugly events elsewhere in the world, in West Africa, “we are faced with the Ebola epidemic and other trouble spots – I draw your attention to a humanitarian crisis which is also a matter of international security.
“This Boko Haram insurgency has been with us now for several years but has, in these last few days, taken a step further towards being a disaster of unimaginable proportions. Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk. Nigeria needs the world’s support. The world must not abandon Nigerians in our time of need.” [myad]
