Declare State Of Emergency In Katsina, Zamfara, ADC Charges Tinubu

Samuel Ogidan

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has charged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declared state of emergency in Katsina and Zamfara states.

The call followed the massacre in Malumfashi, Katsina State, where dozens of worshippers and villagers were brutally killed.

Calling on the President to arrest the slaughter, while condemning the killing, the ADC, in a statement by its spokesman, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described it as further proof of Nigeria’s collapsed security architecture.

The party, which linked the killings to a broader wave of terror in Katsina and Zamfara that has claimed over 140 lives in two months, called on President Tinubu to stop “jet-setting across the world” and urgently declare a State of Emergency in the affected states.

The party also criticised the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors to hold their political meeting in Zamfara only days after the tragic slaughter of dozens of people in the state, describing the action as insensitive.

The ADC said it’s “deeply outraged and concerned by the recent massacre in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State, where 30 worshippers were shot dead in a mosque during dawn prayers, and 20 villagers were burned alive in their homes.

“This evil act epitomizes the horrors that Nigerians have been forced to endure under this administration. It is also a damning proof of the total collapse of our national security architecture, which has prompted even the nation’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to ask citizens to learn how to defend themselves.

“The carnage in Katsina comes on the heels of the recent killings in Zamfara, where 47 people were slaughtered, including 38 hostages murdered even after ransom was paid. And only this month, no fewer than 45 more Nigerians have been killed in Zamfara, with entire villages ransacked, and dozens abducted. Taken together, over 140 Nigerians have been murdered in just two months in Katsina and Zamfara alone.

“It is disheartening to note that instead of confronting these urgent national tragedies with the seriousness that they demand, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to jet-set across the world, chasing photo-ops, while his people are dying in dozens at home. We wish to remind Mr. President that diplomacy abroad is meaningless if safety and security at home cannot be guaranteed.

“It is equally appalling to note that President Tinubu has not made a direct statement of condolence to family of victims or given the assurance of safety to those still alive. This negligence would have been unthinkable in those countries that the President loves to visit.

“In view of the foregoing, ADC therefore calls for an immediate declaration of a State of Emergency in Katsina and Zamfara States until the government is able to stem the tide of bloodshed in those places and restore some order.

“We also call on President Tinubu and his government to embark on total re-evaluation of Nigeria’s national security architecture, which has already proven incapable of protecting lives and property. The recent call by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) for citizens to acquire self-defence skills is perhaps the most honest indicator yet that there is a need to rethink the entire internal defence system.”

In a similar vein, the party condemned the decision of PDP Governors to hold their political meeting in Zamfara on Saturday, only a few days after scores of innocent citizens were slaughtered in that same state.

“Instead of the governors to rally around their beleaguered colleague to help stop the orgy of killings, they chose to stage a political rally at the scene of mass murder, even if it meant trampling on the memory of the victims. The photos of PDP Governors in full ceremonial robes, grinning for the camera is totally out of place in an environment that still reeks of so much blood and sorrow.

“This act alone further underlines an important fact: neither the ruling APC nor the incurably afflicted PDP care about the people and their suffering. They only care about power and politics,” ADC said.