The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) believes that the Federal government has lost grip of security of lives and property in the country following the continued killings and kidnapping by bandits.
PANDEF expressed surprise that government is not moved when it learns that law abiding citizens are paying hoodlums huge sums of money in order to stay alive or have access to their farmlands.
Spokesman of the forum, Mr. Ken Robinson, reportedly said apart from providing electricity with generators, drilling boreholes to get water, Nigerians are gradually taking the responsibility of securing themselves from armed robbers, kidnappers, ritual killers and fraudsters.
He said: “Communities now contribute money to do roads and individuals drill boreholes for themselves. Citizens spend billions of naira to buy generators to provide electricity in their homes and businesses.
“Now, Nigeria has been reduced to a situation where citizens are now paying for their safety and security. Surprisingly, Nigerians are not paying to conventional security agencies; they are paying money to bandits, to criminals in order to be safe.
“What can be worse than that? How low does government want the country to go before they do something drastic? Unfortunately, the fact is that security is no longer in the hands of government and the indications are everywhere. The government has lost it as far as security is concerned.”