By Haruna Salami
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has described those responsible for the recent attacks at some Police formations and Correctional facilities in Imo state as enemies of the people.
Lawan said the aim of the attackers was probably to cause a distraction for the Imo state government or even the Federal Government.
The Senate President spoke on Friday at the capital city of Owerri where he commissioned a road project which was completed by the administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
The road which is named after a former Senate President, Late Chief Evan Enwerem is one of the many infrastructural projects inaugurated to mark Governor Uzodimma’s one year in office.
Speaking at the occasion, Lawan charged the people to take ownership of the projects, utilize them well and protect them as their projects.
“We have been experiencing insecurity recently, especially in Imo State – the jailbreak, burning of Police headquarters, and so on. These may be attempts by enemies of the people to distract this administration or indeed the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“When a government programme or project is vandalised, when a government institution is vandalised and burnt, those doing so are enemies of the people because when you incarcerate someone in prison and normally the due process would have been followed. This is in the public interest and therefore for anyone, whosoever that person is, to go and release prisoners or burn down the Correctional centre, otherwise known as prison, is number one enemy of the people.
“Our security agencies need more resources to ensure that we are all protected and life is secured as well as our property. We will continue to support our security agencies in partnership with the executive arm of government.
“This is so important because this kind of attitude, this kind of insurrection can lead to insurgency. We have witnessed that in the Northeast.
“Thank God by 2015, the insecurity and insurgency in the Northeast started to come down because of the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“We have unfortunately discovered that we have other security challenges from banditry to militancy,” Lawan said.
The Senate President said the appointment of the new Service Chiefs and Acting Inspector General of Police was to inject fresh ideas in a bid to finally overcome the security challenges.
“It is therefore important that you should continue to support the administration of Senator Hope Uzodimma in Imo state because this is your administration.
“There is no ‘them and us.’ It is the Government of the people by the people and for the people. So this is your government. Never allow anyone to confuse you or convince you that this is Hope Uzodimma government.
Lawan also justified the good working relationship between the National Assembly and the executive.
“We do so consciously. We do so purposely. We do so patriotically because we believe that both arms of government are voted in to serve the people and where we have to disagree with the executive arm of government, we will do so.
“We have done so before and if it becomes necessary to do so, we will do it again. But where we have no cause to differ, where we have no cause to say No, we will not differ and we will not say No,” Lawan said.
The Senate President was accompanied on the trip by Senator Jibrin Barau, Senator Biobarakuma Degi, Senator Halliru Jika, Senator Sani Musa, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele.
