Terrorism: APGA Wants Foreign Experts

The Chairman of APGA in Imo, Mr Cletus Nwaka, has urged the Federal Government to engage the services of foreign experts on anti-terrorism to help arrest the rising wave of terrorism in Nigeria.

Nwaka, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Owerri, adding that the government should hire the services of some foreign agencies, known to be experts in counter-terrorism work.

He said the state of insecurity in the country had reached an alarming dimension with the attack on the nation’s Police Headquarters in Abuja.

“If it was not for God’s intervention, the nation’s No. 1 police officer, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Hafiz Ringim, would have been a victim,” he said.

Nwaka described the development as “a serious national problem” and urged the government to rise to the challenge.

He warned that terrorism, which “is alien” to Nigeria, “has the capacity to spread to other parts of the country,” if not nipped in the bud’’.

The chairman also decried the spate of kidnappings in the country and pointed out that the phenomenon, which started from one state, suddenly became a major national security problem.

“Other states are vulnerable and I have the fear that terrorism could also spread across the country if the government fails to arrest it now,” he said.

The politician advised the Federal Government to make education “affordable” to encourage the youth to aspire to pursue and acquire good education to avoid being recruited into crimes, such as terrorism.

He also challenged the federal, state and local governments to evolve sustainable means of job creation to absorb youths and divert their impressionable minds away from crime.

Nwaka also charged Nigerians to be vigilant and assist the security operatives with useful information on security breaches.

He said “security should not be left for security operatives alone.”