Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has linked the fall of the late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi regime in Libya to the unsavoury security situation in Nigeria.
Addressing the National Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, James Akpanudoedehe, yesterday at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, the minister admitted that there were those cashing in on the condition to sabotage the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Akpabio, who expressed concern over the circumstances, assured that the challenges would be addressed in no time. He said: “The issue of insecurity, for me, has already assumed a very worrisome dimension. If you notice, it is not limited to one region. It is not a function of the North East, it is not a function of the South East, and it is even in the South-South and even in my own local government.
“If you read every day what is happening in Benue and other states, we have never in the history of this nation witnessed where people in uniform are targeted for elimination. That will show you that we have infiltrators in our midst.”
“The security of our neighbouring countries must also remain a priority because all these heavy arms, entering into Nigeria when Libya failed, were taken out and people stole the weapons. If you enter Chad or Niger Republic, just like you buy petrol in Nigeria by the roadside, you can pick up any arm you want. So, that has led to heavy arms entering into the wrong hands.”
Akpabio continued: “In the Niger Delta, we have been able to contain the situation, with the amnesty programme. As I speak, I think it is the most peaceful region today in the country. The area is very calm and we intend to keep it as such.”
On his relationship with Akpanudoedehe, he noted: “Let me give you an example. You heard about the Rwandan genocide. It started with one person with a rumour that an ethnic nationality had killed another with over one million lives lost. It was at the end of the war that it was discovered that the rumour never happened.
“What it means is that we have to be careful about what we read and we have to be careful about what we churn out. Yes, breaking news is good, but breaking news should not break the nation.”
