Great number of Residents living in Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, on Monday, converged at the Abuja Unity Fountain, to protest against the insecurity and ineffectiveness of the Minister Of Defence and the National Security Adviser to the President in finding a lasting solution to the high rate of kidnapping and killings ravaging the city.
Speaking under the aegis of the Guardians of Democracy and Development Initiative (GDDI), through one of their leader’s Comrade Danesi Momoh, said President Muhammadu Buhari should, with immediate effect, sack the duo of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno and the Defence Minister Bashir Salihi Magashi, for their attitude in handling the security challenges destroying the country.
The protesters who moved round the streets of Abuja to register their apprehension over the serial killings, abductions and insecurity in the country, displayed several placards asking the President to relieve Generals Monguno and Magashi of their duties and replace them with competent persons.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards by the protesters reads; “Defence Minister is incompetent, sack him now”, “Magashi must go”, “We say no to incompetent NSA and Defence Minister”, “Defence Minister Must Go”, “Sack Monguno now”.
The group warned that if President Buhari fails to heed to their call to sack the duo, they would be left with no choice other than join forces with those who are demanding for his (Buhari’s) resignation or impeachment from office.
Comrade Momoh and Mr. Igwe Ide-Umanta, a Co-convener of the group further justified their demand for the sack of the NSA by saying, “We wish to start with the statement credited to the National Security Adviser himself, Babagana Monguno, where he was quoted as saying: “people are getting tired and are beginning to gravitate into other means of self-help.”
“Truth is that Nigerians are not just getting tired; we are suffocated, frustrated, threatened, apprehensive, and completely uncertain about our safety and that of our loved ones.
“We cannot continue this way, and both the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Minister of Defence Know that.
“We have had to tolerate a National Security Adviser who has no record of achievement in his seven (7) years in office. And right under his supervision, intelligence has been ignored (as has now been exposed by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives).
“There is no proactively and no evidence of any practical input from him in addressing National Security before its total collapse status.
The group stressed that both the Minister of Defence and the National Security Adviser, has no innovation, inspiration and the right professional touch and has no idea of what to do, as they appears too frail, tired and out of touch with contemporary security realities and defence strategies.