We must prosecute arrested bandits, kidnappers to demonstrate justice ― Osinbajo
AREWA AGENDA- Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that bandits and kidnappers arrested must be prosecuted as evidence of justice delivery in the country.
Speaking in Ikenne, Ogun State, where he participated in the ongoing APC membership and revalidation exercise on Tuesday, he also stressed the importance of establishing the State Police structure and stronger collaboration between the security agencies and Justice ministries, which he said would help to improve security nationwide.
He said: “We must speed up and strengthen the community policing structures, states must continually train, educate and formalise their local security structures so that they complement the Federal law enforcement agencies. Policing must be a collective effort, from the Local Government to the State Government, and all the way up to the Federal Government.
“We must ensure the prosecution of all those who have been arrested for kidnapping, banditry. There must be evidence that justice is being done. This is achievable by stronger collaboration between the police, States Ministries of Justice and the Federal Ministry of Justice.
“We are in government at one of the most challenging times in history. The pandemic has not helped matters, and we also have had security challenges that have stretched our law enforcement capacities all over the country. But we remain the best party to solve these problems.”
The vice president also harped in the need to resolve community problems as a country as it was ultimately better for Nigeria to remain as one.
According to him, despite the security challenges, the values of justice, equity and fairness across communities nationwide can be addressed within the Nigerian union.
“We must resist any attempt to destroy the unity of this country. Our people have lived and worked together for decades, even centuries. While we must attend to the cries of communities, and the cries of our people for justice, equity and fairness, we can do so within this same union. Ultimately we are stronger together than apart,” he said.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to “resist any attempts to destroy the unity of this country, adding that, “Our people have lived and worked together for decades.”
According to a statement issued by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, in Abuja, while speaking on the efforts of the present administration to tackle the country’s security challenges, Osinbajo noted that greater emphasis was being placed on technology for surveillance, intelligence gathering and attack.
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He explained that with the appointment of new Service Chiefs, the nation’s security approach has “fresh set of eyes, intellect and skills and a fresh look at strategies against the insurgency in the North East, as well as banditry and kidnapping elsewhere.”
On the APC exercise, Osinbajo expressed his delight to participate in the membership and revalidation of the party as he commended the hitch-free process.
He said the exercise was important for the party to have a credible roll call of members and to reach more Nigerians, especially at the grassroots.
“Permit me to welcome you all to Ikenne, my home town, and more importantly, the home town of Papa Obafemi Awolowo, the father and progenitor of the great movement that we call ‘the progressives movement’ today. It is on the broad shoulders of the social democratic philosophies of the maximum happiness and well-being of all the people that we, in our great party, the All Progressives Congress, stand firmly and confidently today,” he noted.
Osinbajo added that the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) and Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) were proof of the Buhari administration’s focus on the welfare of Nigerians.
He said: “Because of our grassroots orientation, we have and continue to put in place the best programmes for the welfare of our people. Our focus on jobs for our young people is a resolute commitment to our party.
“Aside from the various microcredit schemes, Payroll support scheme (under the MSME Survival Fund), we have the N-Power (under the SIPs), and now the 774,000 jobs programme and N75b Youth Fund. We also have a mass housing scheme, mass agriculture scheme, and solar home systems for 5 million homes (under the ESP). All of these things are the programmes and policies of a progressive party.”
“The people are the party and the party is the people. Ours is a grassroots party; a party of the people. Our focus is on the welfare, prosperity and well-being of all our people. Party members must understand their importance in the scheme of things. They must fully understand the party’s philosophy and programmes; they must be actively mobilised to participate in, propagate and support government policies and programmes.”
More Nigerians have continued to test positive for COVID-19 and more deaths have been recorded from its complications, Tribune Online analysis shows.
However, Nigeria recorded fewer COVID-19 infections and deaths when compared to the previous week. It also recorded increased recoveries during the same period…We must prosecute arrested bandits, kidnappers to demonstrate justice ― Osinbajo
By Leon Usigbe – Abuja
Arewa Agenda is a publication of young writers and journalists from Northern Nigeria geared towards peaceful coexistence and national development through positive narratives.
