Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has encouraged support for international assistance in tackling the rising violence and insecurity in Nigeria, saying the government has failed to protect its citizens.
Speaking at the Plateau Unity Christmas and Praise Festival held at the 10 Commandments Prayer Altar in Jos South, Plateau State, Obasanjo expressed deep concern over the ongoing killings across the country. He said that with the kind of technology available today, including satellite and drone surveillance, it should be easy to track and stop those behind the violence.
“In this country, one problem we have is the problem of insecurity, and it has been with us. It didn’t begin with this administration and not even the administration before it. The first responsibility of any government is the protection our security of its citizens.”
Obasanjo said that if the Nigerian government cannot fulfill its duty to protect lives, then citizens have every right to seek help from the international community. He criticized those who try to justify the killings based on religion or ethnicity, calling such arguments unacceptable.
“We are part of the world community, and if our government cannot protect us, we have right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us. And for anybody to say because those who are being killed belong to this region, religion or tribe, and others too are being killed cannot be an acceptable excuse. Is that an explanation? I believe that is nonsensical.”
He stressed that the killings affect all Nigerians, regardless of background, and that the government must act urgently to stop the bloodshed.
“We Nigerians are being killed, no matter the religion you belong to, no matter where you come from and no matter the profession. We Nigerians are being killed, and our government seem to be incapable of protecting us.”
Obasanjo also questioned why, despite having the tools to track and eliminate criminals, the government is not using them effectively. He said that during his time in office, the country had the ability to locate and arrest criminals, and that capacity has only grown with time.
“And in this day of technology and satellite, there should be nobody to hide anywhere after the commit such crime, and cannot be detected.”
He criticized the practice of negotiating with criminals and then denying it afterward, saying this only encourages more violence.
Obasanjo called on all Nigerians, regardless of religion or background, to come together and demand action. He said that while prayer is important, people must also take steps to hold leaders accountable and ensure that lives are protected.
He ended by saying that solving the security crisis is not something one group can do alone. It will take the efforts of everyone, both within and outside the country, to bring peace and safety back to Nigeria.
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