Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has claimed that the rising kidnappings and killings in parts of northern Nigeria are a calculated and sinister plot aimed at destabilising the nation and undermining the administration of Bola Tinubu to win election in 2027.
Okpebholo made the disclosure on Wednesday while receiving leaders of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Edo State chapter, at the Government House in Benin City.
According to the governor, the perpetrators are deliberately using insecurity as a tool to discredit the president.
“What they are doing is to fuel kidnapping because they want to distract and discredit Mr President,” he said.
“They did it to President Goodluck Jonathan, and they succeeded then. It isn’t fair. They did this to Jonathan and succeeded, but we have already learnt their tricks.”
In recent months, killings and kidnappings for ransom have surged across the country, forcing state governments to shut down schools in states such as Kebbi, Plateau, Niger and Kwara to protect students.
Okpebholo warned that no level of intimidation would deter Tinubu from carrying out his duty of safeguarding lives and property.
“No matter the intimidation, we will not succumb to blackmail. The president is resolute,” he added.
The governor’s remarks come amid growing claims that the renewed wave of attacks, particularly in the northern region, is a targeted attempt to undermine Tinubu’s administration.
Senator Sunday Karimi of Kogi West, for instance, recently argued that terrorist attacks in Niger and Kogi were intended “to cause panic and distract the president’s security agenda.”
Similarly, former Kaduna Central lawmaker Shehu Sani alleged that armed terrorists ravaging different parts of the country, especially the North-East and North-West, are predominantly Muslim northerners and Fulani, dismissing claims that the terrorists originate from outside Nigeria.
In response to the escalating insecurity, Tinubu has declared a nationwide security emergency and ordered fresh recruitment into the Armed Forces to strengthen ongoing operations across the country.
Source: Peoples Gazette
