A former Minister of Education, Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called out the Nigerian military and the government over the persistent insecurity plaguing the country.
In a statement released on her X account on Saturday, Ezekwesili expressed condolences to the families of soldiers killed in Abia, demanding answers from the military and government on their failure to address the recurring violence.
Ezekwesili questioned the inability of security operatives to arrest, investigate, prosecute, and punish criminals, urging the President to take leadership and ensure the security of the country.
She wrote, “The #DefenceInfoNG #HQNigerianArmy: As a citizen who highly values the role of our military in this country, I condole with you and families of the soldiers killed in Abia. May God grant their families divine comfort.
“To avoid this recurring pattern of loss of lives of our civilian and military citizens alike, can you address the Nigerian public on the degenerate state of insecurity all over the country?
“Since nobody else but the person who occupies the seat of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces #officialABAT is de facto vested with the Constitutional powers, duty and accountability to ensure the security of our country and people, can you help us, the Nigerian people, understand why the failures of rampant insecurity persist in the country?
“What exactly is the problem? We are governed by the Constitution, laws, rules, and regulations with the rule of law as our bedrock.”
She said there was no provision on the nation’s laws where criminals are meant to be appealed to by their fellow citizens, rather, they are to be arrested, investigated, prosecuted, convicted and punished.
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Ezekwesili questioned whether the authorities were aware that the lack of strong deterrence had become an incentive for criminal gangs to freely kill citizens, including those in the security forces.
She asked why the President is failing to effectively lead the military establishments to punish crimes and secure the people and soldiers across the country.
She emphasized that the Nigerian public deserved to know the reasons for these failures, as public accountability is essential.