Opeyemi Bamidele has called on the Federal Government to minimize the deployment of troop to combat terrorism, stressing that the action could scuttle the nation’s democratic rule.
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Federal Constituency, made this observation in a statement on Sunday by his media aide, Mr. Ahmed Salami.
While lamenting the rate at which the Boko Haram sect was multiplying into groups, the lawmaker noted that the police were a better alternative in combating terrorism.
He said, “The arbitrary deployment of soldiers to some flash points in the northern states due to the seemingly weak posture of the Nigeria Police Force will be counterproductive because it may spell doom for the country’s democracy.
“The Nigeria Police Force has offered a credible alternative to forge ahead in its fight against terrorism. The police should be funded to a reasonable standard to be able to respond to civil and criminal issues rather than to rely on the Nigerian Army.”
While commending the Nigerian Army in its fight against terrorism in Yobe and Borno States, Bamidele, however, advised that Nigeria should learn from the mistakes of using the military to curb insurgency in the past.
He said that it was as a result of the constant military attack that the Boko Haram have now devised a new strategy of attacking prominent Nigerians.
Speaking on the rate of kidnapping in the country, he said “The ratio of kidnapping in recent time in Nigeria and the victims of the kidnapping among which were prominent Nigerians.”
