Speaking at the Plateau State Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival in Jos, former President Olusegun Obasanjo rejected calls for negotiations with terrorists, telling the Federal Government to stop “apologising” and confronting insecurity head-on while embracing foreign assistance if necessary.
Lamenting the surge in abductions and killings across northern states — including the kidnapping of 315 students and 13 teachers in Niger State, 26 schoolgirls in Kebbi, and several others in Kwara, Kano, and Niger — Obasanjo declared, “No matter what religion you belong to… we Nigerians are being killed, and our government seems to be incapable of protecting us,” adding that “we are part of the world community” and have the right to seek international help if the state fails.
Stressing that improved technology now gives Nigeria the tools to act, he said, “Now we have capacity. With drones, we can sleeve them up. You can take them out. Why are we not doing that? Why are we apologising? Why are we negotiating?”