A former presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Engr. Martin Onovo, says the Federal Government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could not be absolved of culpability in the rising spate of banditry and terrorism in the country.
Onovo, who spoke with Saturday Sun, cited the actions and utterances of some leading members of the party as the basis for his assertion.
“Both the Federal Government and APC are the sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria. It is very clear that APC is the sponsor of terrorism in Nigeria, and we have the testimonies, and we have the evidence, and this is why it looks as if terrorism can’t be defeated,” he claimed.
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He said that Nigeria was in grave danger as a result of the myriad security challenges confronting the nation.
Onovo noted that without a “major readjustment”, only a miracle could save the nation from a calamitous future.
Explaining how the problem started, the trained engineer said, “We got into this present mess deliberately and very clearly. In 2016, my group, the Movement for Fundamental Change, told the nation that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is desperate to destroy the country. But some sycophants, instead of looking at the reality, claimed that we were raising a false alarm because my party -the NCP- didn’t win the 2015 presidential elections. Those accusing us may not have had the information we had, but even an objective person without the information we had would have come to the same conclusion. Now we have enough confessions about deliberate plans to destroy this country.
“Some of these confessions include that of a leading APC national chieftain, Kawu Baraje who confessed that the party imported bandits and terrorists into the country in 2015 in order to win the elections. Don’t forget that Gov Nasir el-Rufai also publicly declared that he paid bandits in order to stop the killings in Kaduna State. Timi Frank was acting APC National Publicity Secretary. There was a time he claimed that President Buhari hated Christians. There was also a time APC national leader, Bola Tinubu claimed that President Buhari is an ethnic bigot. Gen TY Danjuma also at a time declared that members of the armed forces are not neutral, that they were conniving with bandits. And we have evidence of that because there was a case in Plateau State where the Nigeria Police arrested a herdsman with Nigerian Army rifles. Then we have testimony of Col. Tony Nyiam that when Fulani herdsmen attacked Ogoja and were repelled, that those ones that were arrested among them were carrying Nigerian Army rifles.
“So what more evidence do the Nigerian people need to know that the Federal Government and APC are behind all these crises? But materialism has blinded so many people in Nigeria, including members of the Fourth Estate of the realm who are supposed to educate others. To make matter worse, anybody that rises up against terrorist Fulani herdsmen, the Federal Government moves against them.
“Look at what is happening to Sunday Igboho in the South-West today. Once you rise up to defend yourself, which is a divine right that is universally acclaimed, the government will move against you. Why was Gana extra-judicially killed by the Nigerian Army? He had a peace treaty with the state government, and he was on his way to surrender before he was killed by the Nigerian Army. So how much evidence do we need from what I have itemized here to know that APC is the sponsor of terrorism in Nigeria? Both the Federal Government and APC are the sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria. It is very clear that APC is the sponsor of terrorism in Nigeria, and we have the testimonies, and we have the evidence, and this is why it looks as if terrorism can’t be defeated. But what continues to baffle me is why over 200 million Nigerians will remain quiet while all these are going on. Why should we allow APC to hold us down?”