The lawmaker representing Kachia/Kagarko Federal Constituency, Kaduna, in the House of Representatives, Gabriel Saleh has slammed the Muhammadu Buhari-led Nigerian government on the handling of security issues.
“So I feel the Federal Government has failed Nigeria. Our people are crying and suffering, over 40 people were killed in less than two weeks,” Saleh said while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday.
“We, the APC voted in Buhari because he was a (major) general but we are disappointed.”
The lawmaker’s criticism of the Nigerian president and the government comes after over 40 people were killed in Southern Kaduna within two weeks.
The latest killings were reportedly carried out around 7 am on Saturday when unknown militiamen attacked three communities in Jema’a and Kaura local government areas of Kaduna State and killed at least nine people.
Eleven people reportedly sustained varying degrees of injuries during the attack. Several houses were also reportedly burnt during the attacks.
The three communities attacked were Zikpak and Ungwan Masara (Fantsuam Chiefdom), both in Jema’a Local Government Area as well as Maraban Kagoro, in Kaura Local Government Area.
Irked by the challenge of insecurity in the area, Saleh said, “we have asked the president to sack the service chiefs, but no (they were not sacked.”
He said it was unfortunate that the people of the state have been displaced by suspected bandits and herdsmen in their own communities.
“In my village which is called Jabon Tudu, there was a threat. Everyone left his house. For the past one week, nobody is sleeping at home.
While describing the perpetrators of the attacks as terrorists, he wondered why innocent people will be attacked and killed for unknown reasons.
The lawmaker, therefore, called on the Nigerian Government to deploy security personnel to the affected area in order to forestall future attacks.
Saleh said Nigerians voted President Buhari in 2015 because he promised to tackle the numerous security challenges at the time.
He noted that while Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum will openly lament the spate of insecurity in the state, Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna states are not being spared.
While absorbing Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai of the blame for the security challenges of the people, Saleh called for the decentralisation of security powers from the federal government.
He urged Buhari to implement state and community policing in the country to enable governors to act like chief security officers of their states.
