A socio-political group, South West Media Outreach for Atiku Abubakar, has described the recent attack on the campaign train of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, as an ominous signal ahead of the 2023 general elections.
It would be recalled that the attack by suspected political thugs who pelted the convoy with stones and dangerous weapons caused bodily injuries to some people, including journalists and unwanted damages to many vehicles on the campaign train.
In a statement in Ibadan by its coordinator, Mr Kola Ilori, the group took a swipe at the unwarranted attack, describing it as sinister and irresponsible. The group stated that the attack, particularly on innocent journalists who were on official assignment, was a bad omen for democracy and the sociopolitical development of the country.
According to him, it was strange that the Borno State Police Command denied the incident despite the audio and visual evidence of the attack, noting that the Inspector General of Police has however, debunked the claims of the command by instituting a panel to investigate the attack, which goes to show that there are dangers ahead of the 2023 elections.
“It is incumbent on the police and other security agencies to brace up and ensure that the violence of any form does not mar campaigns,” he warned.
Ilori maintained that the rush by the Borno State Police Command to deny an event that was trending on social media has further damaged the police as capable of neutrality in the coming elections.
He said, “The signals from Borno State portends danger that should not be swept under the carpet and this is why the outcome of intervention by the IGP should restore the confidence that the 2023 elections would be violence-free.”
The group then lauded Alhaji Abubakar for his “demonstrated statesmanship as a man of peaceful disposition by urging his supporters in Borno State not to retaliate.
