Edo Train Attack: Atiku Calls For State Police

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the abduction of train passengers in Edo State on Saturday.

Atiku called on the Federal Government to once again see the need to review the constitution to allow creation of state police as away of tackling insecurity, especially in local communities across the country.

He also suggested other measures such as prioritising the intelligence gathering and crime prevention rather the current reactive approach of the security agencies.

The former Vice President, who said this in a Twitter post on Sunday, January 8, 2023, promised to put in place specific initiatives to take care of security, if elected president in the February 25 election.

He said: “The attack on a train station in Igueben LGA of Edo state, during which armed men kidnapped an undetermined number of people is the latest in a long condemnable line of security breaches previously unseen in our national history,” Atiku stated.

He also commiserated with the victims and their families, and prayed for their safe return.

“The thoughts of my family and I are with the abducted and their families as we pray for their safe return. While we pray, it is important also to point out that this serves as the latest reminder of the urgent need to reform our security architecture to better safeguard the lives and properties of Nigerian citizens.

“We can do this by doing the following: amending our constitution to allow for state and community policing as a first line of security. Modify our security apparatus to pay a greater premium to intelligence gathering and crime prevention than our current reactive approach.

‘’It is unacceptable for terrorists to plan attacks of this nature, mobilise arms and ammunition, secure funding and move large numbers of people across large spaces without detection by security agencies,” Atiku further wrote.

The PDP presidential standard bearer stressed the need for the government to deploy appropriate technology for tracking terrorists and degrading their capacity to attack the people.

He also urged the government to tighten security at the borders to significantly curb the inflow of weapons into the country and across the West Africa subregion.

He also harped on the need to reduce the number of out-of-school children and improve the economy to create jobs for the large number of unemployed Nigerians.

This he said would also serve as away of reducing the number of people recruited by terrorist groups for their nefarious activities.

Also, the Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa condemned the abduction of the passengers and called on the Federal Government to be more proactive on issue of security across the nation.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, on Sunday, Okowa sympathied with authorities of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), the victims and their families.

He urged the security agencies to step up action and rescue the victims.

“As a country, we must be deeply concerned about the activities of armed groups and non-state actors trying to destabilise our nation. With the general elections a few weeks away, this dastardly act is not just worrisome but condemnable, and we urge security agencies to quickly track and apprehend the gunmen and rescue the victims.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I sympathise with the authorities of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and families of the kidnapped intending passengers at the train station. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families at this difficult time and we pray for the early return of the victims to reunite with their families,’’ Okowa stated.