The People's Democratic Party is asking for the prompt and complete release of its Edo State Chapter leader, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi.
As per reports, Aziegbemi was taken by a group of armed individuals near his residence in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, on Friday.
His kidnappers apparently followed and stopped his vehicle using two Toyota Corolla cars along Odaro Street near his home at around 11 pm.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Saturday, expressed concerns about Aziegbemi's abduction and connected it to the failure of the All Progressives Congress-controlled Federal Government to maintain the security and welfare of Nigerians as mandated by Section 14 (2)(b) of the Constitution.
The statement mentioned, “Our party is distressed by the alarming spate of abduction of helpless Nigerians in various parts of the country, particularly the recent kidnap of about 286 school children in Kaduna State and others in Sokoto State, who are still being held in horrifying and traumatising conditions in their abductor’s den.
“It is heartrending that the APC administration continues to give false assurances while Nigerians are left at the mercy of kidnappers, bandits, terrorists, and marauders without corresponding concrete effort to check the ugly occurrences.
“Our party calls on the Federal Government to end its laidback attitude to security by immediately rejigging our national security architecture, especially in the areas of intelligence gathering, security command, and control coordination in a manner that not only proactively ensures the safety of citizens, but also guarantees rapid respond and effective rescue operations.
“The PDP commends our gallant security personnel in their patriotic effort to secure our nation and urges them not to relent despite the daunting challenges.”
The party urged the security agencies to ensure the release of Aziegbemi and all other Nigerians currently being held captive in the kidnappers' camps across different regions of the nation.
It added, “The party also commends the efforts of the Edo State Governor, Governor Godwin Obaseki, particularly in the deployment of effective security frameworks and structures which the security agencies should leverage on to further guarantee the safety of citizens in Edo State and other parts of the country.
“While calling on Nigerians to be prayerful, alert and continue to support our security agencies, the PDP charges the security high command to take urgent steps to secure the release of Dr. Aziegbemi and all other Nigerians trapped in abductors’ camps in various parts of the country.”
