Nigeria has yet to win the war on insecurity, says Tinubu

Nigerian government presidential candidate Congress of all progressives (APC), Bola Tinubu, says the recent kidnapping of 31 people from a train station in Edo state shows that Nigeria has not yet won the battle against insecurity.

Tinubu, who is seeking to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, condemned the attack in a statement by his press aide Tunde Rahman on Tuesday.

The passengers were kidnapped at the Igueben station on Saturday while waiting to board the train to Warri, Delta state.

This is the second train hijacking in less than a year. In March 2022 dozens of passengers were kidnapped by armed individuals and several people were killed in the attack.

Many of the kidnapped victims were later released after paying ransom to the kidnappers, while others were freed after negotiations between the government and the kidnappers.

Tinubu’s party won the 2015 presidential election on a promise to end insecurity, particularly the insurgency in the northeast. However, despite the improvement in the situation in the northeast, insecurity has spread throughout the country.

The former Lagos state governor, who has always defended Buhari’s security record, said the kidnapping “is a sad reminder that we have not fully won the war against insecurity and that there are still some agents of darkness stalking the around the corner”.

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He added that “I want to assure Nigerians that we will win this war.”

Mr. Tinubu also convinced the federal government and the Edo state government to work together to ensure the rescue of the kidnapped victims.

Furthermore, Mr. Tinubu said that the creation of the Anti-Terrorist Battalion Forces, as proposed in his manifesto, will help tackle violent crime across the country.

“One of the reasons I am running for president is to improve the security situation and address all forms of insecurity in our country. We have a clear plan to end violent crime and terrorism through our Counter Terrorism Battalion Forces, investment in more security hardware and surveillance technology that will make our streets, neighborhoods and forests protective for socio-economic activities prosper and flourish,” he said. .

The current administration has been praised for investing in the rail sector, however attacks on rail infrastructure and kidnappings remain a challenge for the sector.

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In 2022, the Abuja/Kaduna train services were discontinued for nine months after the kidnapping.