***Says 2027 is their target, urges Tinubu to act fast
Former commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism and Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa has raised the alarm that the escalation of bandits activities at the nation Capital Abuja are the hand work of politicians who want to make the government unpopular before 2027.
Vatsa specifically told our correspondent in an interview in Minna on Wednesday that those behind the sudden rise in Banditry activities in Abuja and it’s surrounding satellite towns are doing it to set Nigerians against the government just to discredit it.
The former publicity secretary of the APC in the state pointed out that the strategy of causing a state of insecurity was adopted against the former President Goodluck Jonathan government ahead of the 2015 general elections where bombs were being released all over Nigeria including Abuja and this made Nigerians to lose interest in that government.
He stated further that immediately after the 2015 general elections peace returned to Abuja and the sound of bombs stopped because the aim had been achieved.
He maintained that this time around, they decided to unleashed bandits on Tinubu government, adding that the entire seat of power has been taken over by bandits and other criminal elements, adding that “president Tinubu must not fold his hands and allow them succeed”.
According to him, “This is the same strategy that those behind the current rise in Banditry activities in Abuja want to adopt. They want to make the country ungovernable for the present administration.
“The current security situation especially in Abuja is meant to invoke the anger of Nigerians against this government and to make president Tinubu look incompetent to handle the affairs of the country.
“No Nigerian that his family or relation is kidnapped or killed by these criminals would want to support or see anything good about a government that is supposed to protect lives and properties of Nigerians as its primary responsibility”.
Vatsa also claimed that to confirm that some powerful politicians are behind the current security situation in Abuja is the fact that the Bandits have scaled up their ransom money from between N3million and N5million they usually demanded to N50million and above, stressing that “where will an ordinary Nigerian get that money from in this current bitting economic hardship”.
Vatsa therefore urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately rise up to the occasion and act fast before those he described as “power hungry politicians” make the country ungovernable for him through creating a state of insecurity around Abuja.
“I am very sure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should know by now that some politicians are out to make his government unpopular before Nigerians and they can achieve their aim if this security situation is no addressed”.
He added further that the country has what it takes to tackle any form of security challenges in any part of the country, saying that “what is needed is strong political will and puting the right people at the right place.
He described the recent killing of those Abuja kidnapped victims as very unfortunate, pointing out that “we can not afford to continue to lose the lives of young and promising Nigerians in the hands of criminals who have no future”.