A Senior Special Assistant to
President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, yesterday
backed calls by former Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Theophilus
Danjuma (Rtd) that Nigerians should defend themselves against the unending
violence in some parts of the country.
Shehu, who appeared as a guest on
Channels Television’s political programme, Sunday Politics, however, warned
that it must be within the ambit of the law.
“There is absolutely nothing
wrong with you defending yourself in line with the law,” he said.
“The security services in the
country will probably not be telling Nigerians to do nothing when they come and
attack,”
Recall that a day
earlier, the Buhari-led government had appealed to prominent Nigerians, who
have national influence, to watch what they say.
Meanwhile, on the reaction of the
President to the Former Defence Minister’s outburst, Shehu said he believed
that President Buhari was taking the pleas made by Nigerians seriously in
dealing with the issues raised.
“This is a listening government
and the reaction then was of silence to say to them that we have heard you.
“We will listen to the useful
advice you have given us. We will take what we can use from what you have
said,” he noted.
The Presidential aide, however,
exonerated the military of condoning attacks that have led to bloodshed in the
land.
He was of the view that members
of the Armed forces were there to defend citizens of the country even to their
own detriment.
Recall also that Danjuma had on March
24 accused the military of complicity in the killings within Taraba, Benue and
other “riverine states” in the country.
According to Danjuma, during a
convocation ceremony of Taraba State University, “The peace in this state is
under assault. There is an attempt at ethnic cleansing in this state and, of
course, in all the riverine state of Nigeria. We must resist it. We must stop
it. Every one of us must rise up,”
Following his outburst, many
Nigerians have expressed their views, with many criticizing the President Muhammadu
Buhari administration for failing to address the security challenges in parts
of the country.
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