*Operation confirms Buhari’s incompetence, says PDP
*The World remembers PDP govt’s negligence in Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction – APC
By Ezeocha Nzeh
Last weekend’s rescue operation by the United States Seal (Navy) in Northern Nigeria has thrown the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party into war of words as the United States of America government has defended its military incursion into the Nigeria enclave
US forces were on Saturday reported to have rescued an American citizen taken hostage by armed men earlier this week in Niger Republic but held in northern Nigeria.
“U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men. This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.
“We appreciate the support of our international partners in conducting this operation. The United States will continue to protect our people and our interests anywhere in the world”, Hoffman added.
Reports say the mission, which lasted for several hours, was conducted by the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6, who were flown to Northern Nigeria by Air Force special operations, a US official with knowledge of the operation told CNN.
The US forces who conducted the mission killed six of the seven captors, the official said. The US believes the captors have no known affiliation with any terror groups operating in the region, and were more likely bandits seeking money.
US President, Donald Trump, described the successful US Army mission in Nigeria as a strict warning to all terrorist groups operating in Nigeria and other African countries
In its reaction to the incursion of a foreign army into Nigeria, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the swift operation by the United States to rescue her citizen on Nigerian soil as further confirmation that the Buhari Presidency can neither secure the territorial integrity of the nation nor arrest the wave of insecurity ravaging our country under its inept watch.
The party describes the situation where the United State had to come on our soil to pull a rescue, as an international embarrassment and shows how low the Buhari Presidency had fallen in its failure to guarantee the safety of lives and property in our country.
PDP in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiya, stated that the fact that under President Muhammadu Buhari, bandits and abductors from neighboring countries now freely cross into our nation to use our soil as detention camps further shows the failure of his administration to secure our national borders and territorial integrity.
“It also shows that contrary to claims by the Buhari administration, parts of our country are still under the control of bandits and insurgents.
“It is indeed grossly disconcerting that under our Commander-in-Chief, a general, who had consistently promised to lead from the front, it took a foreign country to come on our soil to rescue their citizen, while hordes of our citizens are reportedly being held, tortured and killed in various kidnappers’ and insurgents’ dens in various parts of our nation.
The PDP recalled that “earlier in April, Nigeria was equally embarrassed by reports of how the Chadian President Idris Deby, personally led his troops to rout out insurgents and freed Nigerian territories and soldiers held captive by terrorists in northern part of Borno state, while our leaders recede into the safety and comfort of Aso Presidential Villa.
“The fact that other countries with competent and determined leadership have successfully dislodged and vanquished bandits on our soil highlight the incompetence, lack of honesty and want of will power on the part of the Buhari administration to effectively secure our nation.
“The exploits of these countries on our soil only go to show that the bandits, vandals, kidnappers, insurgents are not invincible but have been allowed to take hold of our nation due to the failures of the Buhari administration.
“Such failures had dragged our nation down to rank as the third country with the highest level of terrorism, after Iran and Afghanistan, according to 2019 Global Terrorism Index rating by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
“Our party believes that the latest experience will compel President Buhari to accede to widespread demand by Nigerians to rejig his security architecture as well as replace his service chiefs with more competent hands to effectively tackle insecurity challenge facing our country.”
The PDP also charged all Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue to pray for the nation at this trying time.
The world remembers PDP government’s negligence in Chibok schoolgirls abduction – APC
But the APC in its response to the PDP attack on Saturday’s rescue of a kidnapped American citizen in Nigeria by U.S. Special Forces regretted that the opposition party has decided to rubbish Nigeria’s security services who are constantly putting their lives on the line to ensure our safety and secure Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said the PDP has again chosen to play politics with the nation’s national security in its tired, baseless and dull attacks of the President Muhammadu Buhari government.
“The PDP should explain to Nigerians how its immediate-past administration handled the 2014 abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls. To refresh the PDP’s memory, former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, in his book, For the Record, said the Goodluck Jonathan PDP government was “sleeping on the wheel” when the schoolgirls were abducted.
“It is on record that that PDP government did nothing for two weeks after the Chibok schoolgirls abductions dismissing it as a grand political conspiracy while the schoolgirls were continually held and their families suffered in anguish.
“While the PDP still refuses to take responsibility for the tragedy up till now, the same PDP government rejected the British offer to help in the rescue of the Chibok schoolgirls.
“Combating terrorism and other emerging cross border crimes require international collaborations and assistance when necessary.
“As Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, President Buhari swore a constitutional oath to protect lives and property of citizens. The president has consistently demonstrated that resolve throughout his administration. President Buhari’s reactions and actions after the similar and unfortunate Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping is a pointer to how a responsive government should act.” APC stated in its statement
