The National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, says the political will to effectively tackle the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country is lacking.
While appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Gabam warned that if the terrorists are not well decimated, it might end up consuming the nation.
“The Boko Haram thing is because there is a lack of political will to deal with it decisively. There is no decisive decision from the Executive to deal with the issue,” he stated.
He recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo provided the right leadership by efficiently addressing the nation’s security challenges at the time.
Gabam regretted that the terrorist attacks escalated when the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua left the country for his medical trip abroad.
“When the late President was going for his medical trip, he left an order that hunts them where they are and deal with them decisively. That wasn’t follow up, that led to the escalation of Boko Haram.
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“The Executive began to deal with the issue and interpret it along ethnic and religious lines. There are some of these people organising this act of crime and criminality because they didn’t like President Jonathan,” he added.
When asked to react to the military’s claim of some groups and foreign interests determined to cause mischief and exacerbate the nation’s security, Gabam wondered why such persons have not been dealt with in accordance with the Constitution.
He challenged the military to present their facts to Nigerians, adding that the citizens have been supporting them over time.
“In a nation where you have functional laws where decisive actions are being taken, that intelligence they have gathered around those individuals, are those individuals above the law? They are not above the law. They are within the parameters of our territory governed by our laws
“And this country has sufficient laws to deal with such individuals. Why haven’t they acted? Why shouldn’t they pick those individuals? What are they afraid of? Why shouldn’t they present their facts to Nigerians?” he asked.
