By Yusuf Bello
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has questioned the arrest, by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, of organizers of a peaceful protests against killing by bandits and insurgents in Katsina and other parts of the country, particularly in the north.
The PDP described as absurd, but revealing, that the APC-led government would arrest, harass and detain victims of the bandits, alleging that it chose to negotiate, hobnob with and even pay money to the assailants.
The party said this arrest further raises demands for the APC and its governors, particularly, those who openly confessed to have had contacts, negotiations and financial dealing with the bandits, to come clean on their alleged links with insurgents and marauders.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan made this known in a statement on Thursday.
The statement read in part: “Such actions by the APC administration, in addition to utterances of its leaders, have continued to dishearten Nigerians while emboldening bandits and insurgents to continue to pillage our communities, hold towns to ransom and visit all manner of violence on vulnerable Nigerians in various parts of the country.
“The PDP recalls utterances by certain APC leaders, including asking victims of attacks not to revenge even in the face of poor security presence in affected communities as well as admission by government that the marauders were mercenaries from the Sahel region and armed deserters from late Muammah Gadaffi’s Libya”.
