Senator Shehu Sani has accused security chiefs of funnelling
funds meant for prosecuting the war against terrorists, bandits and other
criminal elements, into building their personal business empires.
The former lawmaker lamented the lingering security
challenges in the country, saying citizens were being massacred daily because
security agents and government of the day had become hopeless and helpless.
Sani stated these on Sunday when he featured in AIT ‘Talk
Show’ programme.
According to him, the level of killing was too high for
government to talk about providing infrastructure rather than looking for ways
to end wanton destruction of lives and property.
Sani said banditry activities and kidnapping in Nigeria have
become a business enterprise for some elements, such that ransom being paid by
the victims got to them directly.
“From what I am seeing, it has become a business for some
people in Nigeria. Billions upon billions are pumped into banditry and
terrorism as ransom and there seems not to be an end in sight and from the side
of government, hundreds of billions are being pumped into defence and security
apparatus, and it’s still not solving the problem.
“The Minister of Finance, Hajia Zainab Ahmed made a recent
disclosure that she has released N1.3 trillion in 28 months to the Nigerian
Army during the last Service Chiefs, different from special approvals and
allocations which they have been going to the President to get.
“From the beginning till date, security allocation has been
the highest in our national budget.
“How can we be pumping millions of dollars without
commensurate results? How can we be confronting bandits who are just using
AK47, motorcycles and their phones and still be difficult? They are not that
sophisticated.
“We need the political will, we need to unite as a country,
we need to adopt technologies that will make it impossible for bandits to
operate. Nigeria’s defence budget is fifty times higher than Niger Republic,
yet, Niger is safer than Nigeria.
“Our security agents before the coming of the new Service
Chiefs, what do they do? They’re all establishing Universities in their
villages. Now security agents are building hotels and shopping malls and
business units. Is that what security agencies are supposed to do? To build
hostels, shopping malls and building of Universities?”
He said the Niger Republic is safer than Nigeria, wondering
how the country wasn’t able to effectively secure her borders despite its huge
population and resources.
Sani explained that Algeria was bigger than Nigeria in landmass
yet they were able to protect their borders, adding that government should be
brutal on bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements.
He revealed that Kaduna State had become renowned for
banditry activities than anywhere else in Nigeria, even as bandits and
kidnappers control 21 Local Governments out of 23, leaving two in Kaduna
metropolis.
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