Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the sectarian crisis in Adamawa State that claimed the life of the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr. Sam Zadock and 12 other victims.
Also, the national leadership of the PDP has reacted to the killings by calling for full investigation of the incident.
Atiku said he was deeply embarrassed and utterly shocked by the continuing cycle of violence, revenge and counter revenge by ethnic warriors and militias in the country, which have led to needless waste of precious human lives.
Atiku noted that the reckless disregard for the sanctity of life is not only disturbing, but also shows the failure of local leaders to manage differences and grievances.
He added that bloodshed cannot be the solution to those grievances.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media office, the former vice president said โour common humanity is greater than our ethnic and religious differences,โ adding that the frequent resort to violence is inconsistent with the teachings of our religions about the sanctity of life.
Atiku stressed that no society can achieve peace and happiness when love is replaced with violence, destruction, hate and bigotry.
He called for cool headed approach to conflict resolution, instead of incitements to violence by ethnic and religious leaders, adding that those who encourage the destruction of life are unfit to lead others.
He also called for increased vigilance and prompt response to early signs of developing violence or conflicts in order to nip such crises in the bud.
The former vice president said the deployment of troops after lives had been lost โis tantamount to locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.โ
While praising the efforts of the security personnel and their sacrifices, he called for improved strategies and the use of human intelligence to foil mass murderers before they strike.
He condoled with the Zadock family, families of the other deceased persons and the Adamawa PDP over the loss of their loved ones.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, expressed shock over the gruesome murder of Zadock by gunmen.
The statement said: โThis killing of our spokesperson, who is known for his patriotism, dedication to national development and pursuit of the revitalization of our repositioned party in that state, must be subjected to full scale investigation, particularly in the face of rising speculations over the circumstances surrounding his murder.
โWhile we appreciate the efforts of the military in its response leading to the arrest of some persons, we reject any attempt to wave off this killing without an exhaustive investigation by relevant security agencies and the report must be made public.
โThe PDP is particularly appalled by the fact that our nation is failing by the day, following the inability of the incompetent APC-led Federal Government to ensure a peaceful Nigeria and to provide adequate security for our citizens.
โOn a daily basis, the nation is inundated by news of gruesome killings and unabating violence across the country, with Nigerians being hacked down or abducted by marauders and insurgents under the inept APC government which has failed to take decisive steps to stem the ugly tide.
โGradually, our nation is being turned into a funeral parlour with bloodletting in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Yobe, Kaduna, Zamfara, Enugu, Kogi, Ebonyi, Edo, Plateau, Nassarawa and other states across the country.
โIndeed, we cannot continue to lose our fine, bright and talented citizens to bandits while those vested with the mandate to protect them are more interested in their ill-lucked 2019 re-election.โ
