Killings part of Nigeria’s history since 1960s, predated Buhari administration — Presidency

THE Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said kidnappings, wanton killings, and allied criminality confronting the country predated the Buhari administration.

Shehu noted that it’s quite unfortunate that the media is trying to change the narrative by presenting the current administration as a harbinger of doom.

He stressed that leafing through pages of old newspapers would bear his claim out that insecurity is as old as the country.

Shehu said this yesterday, hours after the killing of three of the abducted students of Greenfield University, while featuring on  Channels Television programme ‘Politics Today’

He said when killings happen, everything is blamed on the President while governors and local government chairmen are left off the hook.

Responding to a question, Shehu said, “I think there is a determination by some people to make security the narrative that would lead to the next elections in 2023. We are sad, we are not happy people are killing one another but the way it is being reported is to suggest to you that it has never happened.

“The other day, I was holding a newspaper to an audience. The New Nigerian Newspaper reported the kidnapping of 20 on November 7, 1966 in the Mid-West. If something like that happens today, it will be reported as if there had never been an incident like that in the history of this country.

“And Buhari – not any other person – not the local council chairman, or governor, Buhari is responsible. So, we know the game in town.”

Meanwhile, the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said the country is heavily bleeding urging the government to stop the flow.

This was contained  in a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan yesterday.

The statement read in part, “The PDP laments that the bleeding of our na Class IV haemorrhage and urges President Muhammadu Buhari to allow for the rejigging of our security system to guarantee state and community policing in our country.”