The group has also demanded the President and the service chiefs to provide Nigeria with a blueprint on how they intend to safeguard Nigerians.
The National Association of Seadogs, more commonly called Pyrates Confraternity, has demanded a declaration of a state of emergency on kidnapping from President Bola Tinubu as a swift response to the mass abduction of Nigerians in Kaduna, Borno and Sokoto states.
The group has also demanded the President and the service chiefs to provide Nigeria with a blueprint on how they intend to safeguard Nigerians.
The NAS Capoon, Mr Abiola Owoaje in a statement entitled ‘’ President Tinubu, save Nigeria from kidnappers’’ disclosed that 1,872 Nigerians had been abducted on the watch of President Tinubu as at January 2024 which indicated that President has failed abysmally to keep his promise in ‘’protecting and defending Nigerians from criminal elements’’.
He described the abductions as ‘’reprehensible and unacceptable’’ adding that ‘’the implication of this unchecked terror in schools is grave for the future of students and schools in Nigeria’’.
According to him, Nigerians who had to endure heart-rending episodes of abductions under the Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidency are reliving the same experience with the plethora of abductions under Tinubu.
Owoaje, who noted that President Tinubu should be worried that insurgents and their confederates are making mockery of his authority as President and Commander-in- Chief to tackle insecurity, again called for the unbundling of the Nigeria Police force to accommodate state Police.
The statement reads in part: “We demand a master plan from the President and his security team on ways they intend to keep the country safe. His current handling of security challenges is not putting enough heat on criminal elements. There is an urgent need for the Tinubu administration to change tactics.
‘’Now is the time for the Tinubu Presidency to unbundle Nigeria’s policing system. It is crystal clear that the current centrally controlled Police with 371,000 personnel can no longer serve the purpose of protecting Nigerians. President Tinubu working in collaboration with the National Assembly should speed up the amendment of the Constitution to create State Police.
‘’The creation of State Police with locals who are familiar with the people at the community level and terrain would ensure efficiency in intelligence gathering to prevent crime before they happen or a swift response if it occurs.
‘’More importantly, Nigeria’s justice system should be revamped to fast-track prosecution of suspects arrested for kidnapping and other terror related offences. Government, security agencies and Civil society must at all levels desist from recruiting negotiators to engage kidnappers thereby legitimising an abominable enterprise.
‘’The prompt rescue of kidnapped citizens and the interdiction of kidnappers and their confederates must be an urgent priority of the government and the security agencies. This is the most effective way to ensure deterrence. No Nigerian deserves the agony of being kidnapped when there is a government whose responsibility is to protect the people. President Tinubu needs to rise to the occasion and act as the President and Chief Security Officer of the country. Time is no longer on his side.’’
