News Update
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the international community to intervene in Nigeria to halt the escalating killings and insecurity, saying the government is failing to protect its citizens.
He made the remarks on Friday at the Plateau Unity Christmas and Praise Festival, held at the 10 Commandments Prayer Altar in Dwei-Du, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
“In this country, one problem we have is the problem of insecurity, and it has been with us. It didn’t begin with this administration and not even the administration before it. The first responsibility of any government is the protection our security of its citizens,” Obasanjo said.
“We are part of the world community, and if our government cannot protect us, we have right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us. And for anybody to say because those who are being killed belong to this region, religion or tribe, and others too are being killed cannot be an acceptable excuse. Is that an explanation? I believe that is nonsensical.
“We Nigerians are being killed, no matter the religion you belong to, no matter where you come from and no matter the profession. We Nigerians are being killed, and our government seem to be incapable of protecting us.
“If we are being killed, it is the responsibility of the government to do something about it. Government should stop the killings of Nigerians no matter the religion they belong to, no matter the part of the world they belong to or tribe they belong to. We are being killed and the killing of Nigerians should be stopped.
“So we have the right as Nigerians to appeal to the international community to help us be a government cannot help us, and we should have no apologies for that. Those apologists who are saying they are killing this type of people and that type of people, that is not acceptable and nobody should accept that. We will be irresponsible to be saying that. For me, every Nigerian life that is lost to those criminals, no matter the reasons they give for it, it is a shame for Nigeria. And we should make sure that Nigeria gets out of that,” he added.
Obasanjo emphasised that technology, including drones and satellites, makes it possible to detect and apprehend criminals. “
“Before I left government, I know we had capacity to pick up anybody in Nigeria who commit crime anywhere. And now we have much capacity to pick criminals up either by land or by air. With drones, you can see them all and you can take them out. But why are we not doing that? Why are we apologizing, and why are we negotiating?”
He criticised the government for allegedly paying criminals and denying it, stressing that the killings must stop.
“We are being killed and we are tired of being killed, whether there are Christians or Muslims or pagans, they are Nigerians and the life of every Nigerian matters. The killings must stop, and it should stop.”
The former President added that ending the violence is not the responsibility of one group alone. He called on people of goodwill, both inside and outside Nigeria, to join the effort.
“As the people continue to pray, but when they pray they should also watch, adding that the people should do what we have to do and should also ask the government and the leaders to do what they have to do at all levels and in all works of life because they have to preserve lives in this country.”