Afenifere accuses Nigerian govt of pampering bandits after Kaduna Airport attack

Apex pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has accused the Federal Government of pampering bandits and terrorists in the country, following Saturday’s invasion of the Kaduna Airport by armed bandits.

The group said it was an indication of how bad the level the nation’s security situation had deteriorated.

The terrorists who were said to be about 200 in number, had reportedly taken over the airport in the early hours of Saturday, killing at least one person and injuring many as they stopped any flight from taking off.

The Afenifere, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, on Sunday, lamented the situation and described what happened on a day the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was having its national convention in Abuja, as a “warning that some people seem to be bent on re-enacting the Afghanistan situation in Nigeria.”

“It is a matter of serious concern that these security infractions happened at a time that government kept assuring us that it is on top of the situation,” the group said.

“Some of these attacks by terrorists even occurred in broad daylight, that of Kaduna airport and that of Enugu for instance.

“That terrorists have the audacity to attack a national airport despite all the available security apparatus means that there is hardly anywhere that is safe any longer in the country.

“It only goes to show that the Federal Government is pampering the bandits and terrorists by not taking decisive actions to deal with them.”

The group also urged the government to allow states to set up their own police forces and other security outfits to help in the fight against insecurity.

“The Federal Government should immediately allow states to set up their own police forces, empower the existing security agencies and stop treating terrorists with kid gloves. These must be done immediately so that Nigeria does not go the Afghanistan way!”