The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for an independent panel to investigate the security failures that led to the massacre of 170 persons by terrorists in Woro Community of Kwara State despite early warnings.
PDP in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary Ini Emembong, also called for an emergency National Security Summit involving all stakeholders, on how to solve the nation’s security challenges.
The party described the massacre as another painful reminder of heightened insecurity that Nigerians have been faced with under the Bola Tinubu led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
“The most painful part of this sad story is the fact that several community leaders have stated that the notice of this impending attack was available for months, without any meaningful proactive action from the government, which makes the post-carnage military deployment weak, reactive, and irresponsible.
“The presidential deployment of the military cannot bring back the killed people or erase the concomitant trauma imposed upon the community.
“We deeply commiserate with the families of those who have lost their loved ones to this dastardly act,” PDP said.
It called for immediate deployment of humanitarian assistance, medical care, and temporary shelter for displaced persons and traumatised survivors in Woro community.
PDP also urged on the Federal Government to invest in community-based early warning mechanisms and ensure that credible threats are acted upon promptly rather than ignored.
“Furthermore, we reiterate our call that the Federal Government should adopt a whole-of-society approach in providing a sustainable solution to the insecurity problem in the country.
“This approach must include intelligence sharing between federal and state security agencies, commencement of state police, addressing the root causes of banditry and terrorism through economic development in affected regions, and regular security briefings on emerging threats,” the party demanded.
It condemned the government’s reactionary tactics, which the party said, have proven inadequate, with attendant loss of lives.
“The Tinubu administration must be reminded that being reactionary has never been an effective strategy and cannot be relied on to solve complex problems,” the party stated.
It accused the presidency of paying more attention to politics than to the execution of the primary mandate of government-which is the protection of lives and property.
“The blood of innocent Nigerians continues to cry out for justice and competent leadership. The time for excuses is over; the time for action is now,” PDP said.
