KAGARA: PDP condemns abduction, accuses APC of patronising bandits

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of complicity in the activities of bandits in the Northern part of the country.

The party said this following the abduction of students and staff of the Government Science Secondary School, Kagara, Niger State by bandits who invaded the school in the early hours of yesterday.

While condemning the abduction, the opposition party said the APC displayed misplaced priority by continuing with what it described as “phony reregistration exercise” even when the abduction had become public knowledge.

The party made this known in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja yesterday, titled, ‘Banditry: PDP Raises Alarm, Calls Out APC To Settle Their Mercenaries…Decries Abduction of Niger Students’.

The statement read, “The PDP tasks security forces to go after the outlaws and rescue the children

“Nigerians were jolted by the Tuesday’s coordinated bandit attacks, kidnapping and killings in several communities in Niger state.

“The PDP describes as revealing that while the people of Niger state and Nigerians in other states were under attack by bandits, APC leaders, including those in Niger State, were busy pursuing their party’s phony membership re-registration exercise, instead of rallying security and rescue efforts for the people.

“The lethargic stance of the APC administration towards the fight against banditry further validates reports in the public space that the bandits are connected to the APC and enjoying cover under the ruling party.

“This probably explains why the APC never raised a strong voice against what has become a national calamity. Instead APC leaders are patronising the bandits and making excuses for them.

“Our party charges the APC to speak out on these reports and take immediate steps to settle their political mercenaries, return them to wherever they brought them from and bring an end to this gruesome attacks on Nigerians.”

While commiserating with the victims of the Niger attacks, the PDP tasked the security forces to go after the bandits as well as rescue the Kagara school children before any harm comes upon them.