By Augustine Aminu
Foremost northern cleric, Bishop Pinot Ogbaji, has condemned the attempt by some unpatriotic elements in the northern part of the country to undermine the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari by sabotaging the efforts of the be in the area of security.
The fiery preacher said those trying to sabotage the efforts of the government will not go unpunished as they will soon be exposed.
Bishop Ogbaji who spoke at a media chat with selected journalists in Abuja, said the punishment on those behind such plots would be devastating unless they repent as he said Nigeria has been ordained as a land where citizens shall live in peace with one another and no arrow from the kingdom of darkness shall counter that.
While making some revelations concerning the security of the country, the renowned preacher said it has come to his notice that some politicians are working round the clock trying to undermine the efforts of the current administration despite the much achieved in the war against insurgency and banditry.
He said part of the plot involves reenacting some of the security breaches recorded during past administrations to make it look like the current one has not done anything different.
He said, “If you look at what is going on in the country, you will see that virtually all the security issues of the past administration are being replicated with a near or worse parallel.
“The massacre at Zabarmari in Borno was reenacted to give the impression that something gory on the scale of the murder of students at Buni Yardi which happened during the last administration has also happened now while the abduction of students at Kankara in Katsina State, is to also tar the image of the Buhari administration with something as gruesome as the abduction of the Chibok girls in the last administration. ”
The Bishop said while it is easy for people to latch on the infrequent security breaches to call out the current administration, there is no denying the fact that the Buhari administration has drastically reduced the level of insecurity in the country.
The Cleric said the current situation where bandits launch attacks on soft targets cannot in any way be compared with the sacking of communities and the taking over of territories by terrorists as was the case in the past.
He said, “Nobody said that insecurity is going to be wiped out in one day as there are bound to be occasional glitches which is what we are witnessing from time to time but there is no gainsaying the fact that this administration has done so much to secure the lives and property of citizens that it should be commended.
The Bishop said both the swath of territory the President Buhari administration has recovered from the terrorists and in terms of po is bigger than many African countries while the population of people rescued is equally.
Bishop Ogbaji said his interaction with people in Northeast Nigeria revealed deep appreciation of what President Buhari has done to secure the lives of citizens.
“Go to the epicentre of the war against insurgency which is the Northeast and hear what the people are saying about how Buhari has helped secure communities and you won’t fail to commend this administration for what it has done to improve security in the country.
The Bishop maintained that those saying nothing has been achieved im terms of security are those colluding with saboteurs to give the current administration a bad name.
He said mischief makers seated in the comfort of their houses in areas far away from the theatres of war do not understand the gravity of the problem hence are not capable of appreciating the much that have been done.
The Bishop said it is not for nothing that all the governors of Borno State from Kashim Shettima to Prof. Umara Zulum are always full of praises for Mr President saying this is because they experienced first hand the difference between what was obtainable in the past and what currently obtains.
He said after the Zabarmari attack, the Borno State governor while lamenting the incident, made it clear that the current administration has achieved a lot on the area of security.
Bishop Ogbaji blamed selfish politicians and people with narrow interest for the numerous security issues in the country.
“These are the people behind what we are witnessing recently as they do not want people to continue commending the current administration due to their selfish agenda.
Bishop Ogbaji also commended the Service Chiefs for their relentless efforts towards keeping Nigeria safe saying the motivation passed to troops has helped in the fight against insurgency.
He said if not for the right decision the President made in the choice of the service chiefs, the entire Northeast and many parts of Nigeria would have been overrun by terrorists and hoodlums.
“These set of service chiefs are the best because they have been tested and tried and have given good accounts of themselves,” he stated.
The Bishop said Nigerian troops have tried and are still trying in the war against insurgency saying it is to their credit that no Nigerian territory is under the control of the insurgents at the moment.
He recalled that immediately after the Zabarmari attack, troops were able to launch a counter and neutralised some of the terrorists.
He said it is obvious from the recent abduction of students at a secondary school in Kankara in Kastina State, that there is an orchestrated plan to paint the Buhari administration in bad light and not necessarily because it has not done much in the area of security.
He said one of the bandits involved in the Kankara attack has even confessed that theywere sponsored to carry out the acts in order to put the current administration in bad light.
The Cleric called on well meaning Nigerians to be vigilant and to expose all forms of sabotage to the relevant security agencies.
