...TUC tasks FG on safety

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria(TUC) has implored the Federal government to ensure peace and security in the country ahead of next year’s general election.

The union said the call followed the Sunday shooting of Senator Magnus Abe, the lawmaker representing Rivers South-east Senatorial District, and proliferation of arms and ammunition across the country.

President of the group, Comrade Bala Kaigama, said in Lagos yesterday that the attack on the senator and other APC members “is an ominous sign that Nigerian politicians are prepared for a showdown against their real and perceived opponents”.

“It is rather unfortunate that such dastardly acts of brutality are being perpetrated because of elections that are still more than a year away,” he said.

He added that the recent revelation by the police spokesman that 70 per cent of illegal arms in West Africa are in the hands of Nigerians is a cause for concern.

“Only recently, the Kebbi State Police Command announced the discovery of caches of arms and ammunition buried by unknown persons, thus confirming reports of massive arms build-up across the country. Also last week, three people were reportedly killed when security agents engaged some unidenti- fied gunmen in a battle to save members of the family of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State. If left unchecked, these incidents and their likes could disrupt our hardearned democracy. As if to confirm our fears, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified the problem of insecurity as one of the major impediments to the conduct of elections in Nigeria. It is our hope that the security challenges in Rivers State, the North-east and other parts of the country will be resolved before 2015. We certainly do not subscribe to an atmosphere that would render the peaceful conduct of elections impossible and prompt the postponement of the elections,’’ he said.