Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2023 election, Dumebi Kachikwu, has said the Nigerian government has given rise to the activities of gangs and their leaders in the country, which has emboldened these people kill even the Nigerian military.

Kachikwu revealed this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, where he spoke about the ambush on the troops of the 181 Amphibious Battalion who were on their way to carry out a peace mission between Okuama and Okoloba communities, which led to the death of the Commanding Officer, two Majors, one Captain amongst others.

The ADC presidential candidate said, “Government has failed in allowing people like this to continue to metamorphose in society. We see what’s happening in Haiti where gang lords are now taking over the country. And that’s how we watch gang lords continue to emerge in Nigeria, take over the space, and work with politicians to rig elections, and then now are so powerful as to kill Nigerian soldiers and decapitate their bodies. This is totally unacceptable, I believe that everything should be done to bring these people to justice.”

Kachikwu said that while the kidnappings and killings in the Okuama community had become rampant, “Beyond that killing, what we now see is a recurring decimal in the atrocities going on in Delta state and parts of Bayelsa, where a particular individual is known to be killing soldiers, and this has gone on for years.”

He then accused the government and citizens of these communities of being complicit as he said, “The state governments have failed successively in dealing with this issue because there is always a political undertone to this. Currently, we are talking about two communities- one Ijaw, one Urhobo. In times past, you will always have people from different communities who have people in various arms of government, and because of that, they protect their kit and kin. And when people are killed, nothing is done, so people become emboldened.

“There are several reports, several commission of inquiry over the last couple of decades over this same issue. And as long as they’re not implemented, as long as people believe it’s okay to kill, to maim people and nothing happens to them, then they’ll continue doing this.”

Kachikwu then revealed shockingly that the person alleged to be behind the killing of the military officers is a somewhat respected person in the state as he said, “A name, some ‘Endurance’ has been alleged to be behind this. But the same person who has been alleged to be behind this, you see him waltzing in and out of some government houses in the South South. You see him with full complement of escorts, fully armed and what have you. So, what are we saying? We are saying to these people, it’s okay to be this way. Three months after this, all has quietened down and then we move on. The community that has been decimated, they are paying their price, suffering in silence. The families of soldiers who have died, they are there suffering in silence, and we continue till this happens again.”

Giving his suggestions to solve the insecurity problem that had spread to the military, Kachikwu said, “We must ensure that we have a government that says Nigeria is not a place where human lives are taken and no price is paid. The C.-in-C. (Commander-in-Chief) of this country must be one that says- anytime you touch my military, I will avenge, I will go after you. But not only my military, anytime any Nigerian life is lost, I will ensure that a price is paid. I will go to the very end to ensure that a price is paid, that those people are brought to book.” (ARISE TV)

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