Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday reacted to the current spate of killings in Nigeria, stating that no nation in the world, including the United States, is free of crime.
Akpabio stated this while presiding over plenary during a heated debate on the killing of Brigadier-General Uba Musa in Borno State, as well as the abduction of 25 schoolgirls and the killing of a vice principal in Kebbi State. The incidents were recorded within 24 hours.
It was gathered that during plenary, senators try to air their views on the worsening security situation, however, Akpabio cautioned against despair, noting Nigeria’s vast size and the growing burden on security agencies. “We sympathise deeply with the families affected, but we must remember that Nigeria is a very large country”, he said.
“It is not even possible to deploy one policeman to each polling unit during elections. Our security agencies are overstretched and find themselves in places they shouldn’t ordinarily be”, he added.
The Senate President stressed that crime is a global problem, adding that even world powers face their own security challenges.
“There is no society without crime. Even the almighty America records crime daily. But we must continue to do our best to minimise it”, he further said.
The insecurity has worsened in the past few months in Nigeria as armed gangs such as Boko Haram, bandits and others have been launching deadly attacks. Critics have called on the government to arrest the situation before it gets out of hand.
