By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of its Edo State Chapter Chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, who was abducted in Benin City, Edo State capital at the weekend.
The party, which made the demand in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, said that it is distressed by the alarming spate of abduction of helpless Nigerians in various parts of the country.
The PDP expressed serious concerns over Dr. Aziegbemi’s abduction, stressing that it further points to the alarming failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled Federal Government in its primary duty to ensure the security and welfare of Nigerians as provided under Section 14 (2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
According to the statement by Ologunagba, “Our Party is distressed by the alarming spate of abduction of helpless Nigerians in various parts of the country, particularly the recent kidnap of about 286 school children in Kaduna State and others in Sokoto State, who are still being held in horrifying and traumatizing conditions in their abductor’s den.
“It is heartrending that the APC administration continues to give false assurances while Nigerians are left at the mercies of kidnappers, bandits, terrorists and marauders without corresponding concrete effort to check the ugly occurrences”, it said.
The leading opposition party therefore called on the Federal Government to end its laidback attitude to security by “immediately rejigging our national security architecture”, especially in the areas of intelligence gathering, security command and control coordination in a manner that not only proactively ensure the safety of citizens, but also guarantees rapid respond and effective rescue operations.
The PDP however commended the nation’s “gallant security personnel in their patriotic effort to secure our nation and urges them not to relent despite the daunting challenges”.
