The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday demanded the sack of the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd), for asking Nigerians to defend themselves against bandits, Boko Haram terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminal elements in the country.
The PDP in a statement issued by his National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the minister’s statement as reckless and irresponsible.
Magashi had on Wednesday challenged Nigerians not to leave the fight against insecurity to the military alone.
He said: “Well, security is not the responsibility of the military alone. It is the responsibility of everybody to be alert and ensure safety when necessary. We shouldn’t be cowards. Sometimes the bandits come with about three rounds of ammunition and when they fire shots everybody will run. In our younger days, we stand to fight any form of aggression.
“Why should people run away from minor, minor aggressions? We should stand and face them. If these people know that the people have the competence and capability to defend themselves, they will run away.”
But the PDP argued that the statement was a confirmation that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has “surrendered to outlaws and lacked the determination to fight them.”
The party said: “It is unthinkable that a government would describe unarmed victims of armed aggression of terrorist and bandits as “cowards” while those who were elected and given the necessary resources to defend them recede in the comfort and safety of their offices in Abuja.
Such disposition to security; a statutory responsibility of government, goes to validate apprehensions that our nation is indeed descending to a failed state under the Buhari Presidency, where the government can no longer perform its duties while unarmed citizens are left to confront bandits and warlords.
“Given the silence by the Buhari Presidency, our party holds that the defeatist comment by the minister represents the disposition of President Muhammadu Buhari and his security architecture, and explains why the administration has remained complacent in the fight against terrorism and banditry in our country.
Such statement by the Buhari administration, at the time it ought to be scaling up its security strategies to guarantee the safety of all Nigerians, have been emboldening bandits, terrorists and kidnappers to escalate their acts atrocities against our compatriots.
“Moreover, with such disposition, the Buhari administration is creating a lucrative job for bandits, terrorists and kidnappers who are settled with huge ransom instead of being faced with firepower.
“Our party however urges Nigerians not to despair at this moment but brace up as it has become obvious that we are now in a despondent situation where the government has shown that it can no longer defend the citizens.
