The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has said President Bola Tinubu has no moral or political justification to remain in office, having failed to secure Nigerians.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Thursday by his media office, also called for the establishment of special courts to speed up the trial of terrorists and bandits in the country.
The ADC candidate, while reacting to the abduction of over 82 schoolchildren by terrorists in Oyo and Borno states, urged the Federal Government to expedite action to ensure their safe release.
“President Tinubu has no moral or political latitude to stay in Aso Rock Villa a day longer if tens and hundreds of abducted citizens continue to languish in captivity across the country,” Atiku stated.
He expressed concern over the frequency with which terrorists threaten citizens with impunity without an appropriate response from the government.
According to him, the primary responsibility of any government is the security and welfare of the people, and he called on Tinubu to step down from office in the interest of Nigerians.
“What type of government will allow non-state actors to turn its national territory into killing fields and a haven for kidnapping and extortion?” Atiku queried.
He said security should not be treated as a political slogan, stressing that citizens could only be reassured through prompt and effective responses to security challenges.
The former Vice President warned that when abductions are allowed to drag on, it creates incentives for future attacks on schools by criminal elements.
“Impunity makes the terrorists bolder and more determined to carry out future attacks.
“The citizens look up to the government for urgent and prompt intervention against banditry and terrorist attacks,” he said, adding that “the government must project confidence in the minds of citizens that it is capable of protecting them at all times.”
Atiku further stated that delays in the nation’s criminal justice system, where terrorism trials drag on endlessly, embolden terrorists.
He advocated the death penalty for terrorism offences, arguing, however, that such punishment would not be effective if the government lacks the political will to promptly sign the death warrants of convicted terrorists.
