Bukola Saraki advises Buhari on ways to tackle insecurity

A former President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has shared his thoughts on the security situation in the country, advising President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently call for help from all and sundry.

The former Senate President who took to his Twitter account @bukolasaraki to lament the increase in criminality in the country said he could no longer stand aloof and watch the unfolding events.

“After posting a tweet on the kidnap of the 12 policemen yesterday, the thought of the damning implication that sad incident has for our country continues to disturb me,” he said.

He spoke about how his colleagues from the 8th Senate brought up the issue of insecurity when they visited him.

“Two of them from the North West narrated how the kidnapping problem has become a big racket with many criminal rings now organized around it. I was stunned by some of their experiences and the stories they have heard from their constituents.

“In fact, throughout the night, I continued to turn these scary stories over in my mind. Coincidentally, during my visit to Ilorin last weekend I also heard stories of how more people are finding it difficult to go to the farms as they fear for their lives.

“This heinous crime is spreading fast around the country. Meaning it is not a crime limited to one part of the country or restricted to a certain group of people. With the recent victims being police officers, we must recognize that this is a serious national problem,” he added.

The former Senator clarified that he was not out to score cheap political points because electioneering is over, adding that kidnapping issue is not a problem for President Buhari alone because it affects all Nigerians.

“Even though one is in opposition, at a time of national crisis opposition leaders all over the world join ranks with government to seek solutions. As was the case during the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti or the post-genocide rebuilding efforts in Rwanda,” Saraki stated.

He advised President Buhari to bring together serving and retired intelligence officers, serving and retired security operatives, former presidents and heads of states, traditional rulers, political and legislative leaders, IT experts, and other critical stakeholders to help profer solution to the security challenges facing the country.

He also implored the Buhari-led federal government to seek assistance from countries that have faced similar situations and used modern technology and techniques to overcome their challenges.

He added, “I am sure that if all these people are ‘locked’ up in one room together and with the abundant talents and resources that will be available to tap into, they will most certainly produce a workable action plan that can immediately be implemented to solve the kidnapping problem.

“The fact is that there is no Nigerian or friend of Nigeria who truly loves this country and is concerned about this matter that will not heed President Buhari’s call”.

Saraki observed that “the problem of kidnapping is not only threatening the peace of the country. It is creating food insecurity and constraining people’s means of livelihood, particularly in the rural areas where 70 per cent of the food produced in this country comes from”.

He noted that some people may argue that the President seeking help to tackle insecurity translates into helplessness or admission of failure but the argument does not hold water.

Bukola Saraki concluded that his thoughts were borne out of a genuine desire to get this problem resolved once and for all.

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