APC administration’s efforts not good enough, says PRP

Former presidential candidate and Labour Party (LP) leader, Peter Obi, has responded to comments by Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, that informants and collaborators of Boko Haram exist among Nigerian politicians and even within the armed forces.

On its part, the opposition Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) declared that the effort of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was not enough to stop the terrorists.

To prove that the government is doing enough, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, at the APC National Policy and Development Summit in Abuja, yesterday, said over 13,543 terrorists and other criminal elements had been killed across Nigeria since May 2023.

Describing Zulum’s revelation as “deeply troubling”, Obi said it confirmed the fears of many Nigerians that the country was not only under siege from external terrorist threats but also from betrayal at the highest levels of government.

“If true, this is not just a security failure; it is a moral crisis,” Obi stated yesterday. “Anyone aiding or abetting terrorists, regardless of title, rank or office, is a traitor to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and must be exposed and prosecuted.”

He warned that no progress could be made in the war against terrorism if individuals entrusted with national leadership were secretly undermining the country’s security efforts.

Commending Governor Zulum for his candour, Obi called on Nigerians to support efforts to expose collaborators of terror groups, insisting that such revelations must not die in the news cycle.

BERATING APC for its ineptitude, PRP also called on the Federal Government to review its policies on agriculture and economy to ease food insecurity in the country.

National Vice Chairman of PRP, Northwest, AbasileNamatazu, raised the concern in an interview with The Guardian where he assessed the impact of President Bola Tinubu’s policies in the last two years.

The PRP leader specifically decried Tinubu’s policies on agriculture, security and economy, worried that Nigerians are presently battling with the negative consequences of his administration.

He added: “In the area of economy, if we must borrow a leaf from the United States, with the present tax reform, which is mainly to reinvigorate the economy of America, reawakening the safety of internal businesses against the external economy, Nigeria must find ways of supporting local businesses.”

On the insecurity, the PRP leader urged the Federal government to declare a state of emergency on security to curtail the regrouping of the terrorists in Nigeria. He essentially decried the present number of military personnel and welfare.

AT the APC Summit, Ribadu said the military and intelligence agencies had made gains in ongoing counter-terrorism efforts, noting that 13,543 insurgents and criminals were killed during various operations nationwide over the past two years of Tinubu in office.

The NSA also revealed that no fewer than 124,408 Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, along with their family members, surrendered to Nigerian forces and undergoing rehabilitation through the government’s de-radicalisation and reintegration programme.

He added: “We have so far recovered and destroyed 252,596 rounds of assorted ammunition. Our troops have neutralised 13,543 terrorists,” Ribadu said to an audience of top government officials and party chieftains.