US Rescue Operation Confirms Buhari’s Incompetence, PDP, CSOs Allege

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, said the swift operation by the United States to rescue her citizen held hostage by bandits on Nigerian soil has further confirmed that the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency can neither secure the territorial integrity of the nation nor arrest the wave of insecurity ravaging the country under its watch.
The party described the situation where the United States, “had to come on our soil to pull a rescue, as an international embarrassment and shows how low the Buhari Presidency had fallen in its failure to guarantee the safety of lives and property in our country.”
The US citizen, Philipe Nathan Walton was kidnapped in the Niger Republic/Nigerian border a few weeks ago after his offer of $40 failed to persuade his abductors.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said, “the fact that under President Muhammadu Buhari, bandits and abductors from neighbouring countries now freely cross into our nation to use our soil as detention camps further shows the failure of his administration to secure our national borders and territorial integrity.
“It also shows that contrary to claims by the Buhari administration, parts of our country are still under the control of bandits and insurgents.
“It is indeed grossly disconcerting that under our Commander-in-Chief, a general, who had consistently promised to lead from the front, it took a foreign country to come on our soil to rescue their citizen, while hordes of our citizens are reportedly being held, tortured and killed in various kidnappers’ and insurgents’ dens in various parts of our nation.”
The PDP added, “The fact that other countries with competent and determined leadership have successfully dislodged and vanquished bandits on our soil highlights the incompetence, lack of honesty and want of will power on the part of the Buhari administration to effectively secure our nation.
“Our party believes that the latest experience will compel President Buhari to accede to widespread demand by Nigerians to rejig his security architecture as well as replace his service chiefs with more competent hands to effectively tackle insecurity challenge facing our country.
“Nevertheless, our party commends and immensely values the courage and sacrifices of our gallant troops who are daily risking their lives in the front to safeguard our nation against the insurgents despite the challenges they face.
“The PDP also charges all Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue to pray for our nation at this trying time.”
Similarly, a Coalition of 102 Civil Society for Peace and Good Governance (COSOGOG), has claimed that the successful rescue of a United States citizen, Philip Nathan Watson, has exposed the Federal Government’s weakness in tackling insurgency ravaging the country.
Aside commending the US government for the operation, it expressed shocked how the American Navy Seal carried out successful rescue operation in the country without the involvement and knowledge of Nigerian security services.
To this end, COSOGOG National Coordinator, Ibrahim Gadzama; and National Secretary, Gboyega Fayemi; in a statement, yesterday, called on President Mohammadu Buhari, to sack the service chiefs, for failing to curb banditry despite huge budgetary allocation.
Gadzama said: “We, the entire management and members of this group wish to commend the American government and their Navy Seal Team 6 for rescuing one of its citizens who was kidnapped in Niger Republic, and later moved to Nigeria by bandits. This show of patriotism and commitment by the US Government is phenomenal.
“However, this action by the US Seal is not only a very big breach of our sovereignty as a nation but also indicates that there is a big gap in our country’s security architecture.
“We call for an immediate action against those entrusted with the security of our nation. All the service chiefs must be sacked and replaced with committed younger generals before it is too late.
“We know that in a matter of days, we may begin to get some cosmetic responses from our security forces justifying the raid or giving excuses for their failure, but the obvious fact is that this raid by American Navy Seal has further confirmed our position that our security chiefs are not on top of their game and need to go home.