Following what the All Progressives Congress described
as the growing threat to the lives of its leaders, some of
the party’s chieftains have resorted to making private
security arrangements.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered on Friday that part of these
arrangements included engaging private security guards
(some of which allegedly carry arms) as well as beefing
up security in and around their homes and offices.
Some of the party members volunteered this
information on the condition of anonymity.
One of them explained that the chieftains were forced
to make backup plans because it was becoming clear
that the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal
Government would withdraw the services of regular
security men as the elections approach.
He said, “We cannot pretend we don’t know what the
PDP is up to. There is more to the deliberate
harassment of our leaders by security agencies within
the last one week.
“First, it was Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and Governor
Rochas Okorocha; then our Presidential Campaign
Director of Media, Mr. Garba Shehu. Only God knows
who will be next.
“It was in this same country during election period that
Chief Harry Marshal and Bola Ige were killed. Only a
careless person will rely solely on government security
men who can be withdrawn at any time.”
In Rivers State, the state chapter of the APC said its
members were relying on “natural human instincts” to
protect party leaders from assassination plots.
The state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Fynebone, told
one of our correspondents that no matter how the
party’s political detractors tried to intimidate its leaders,
it would be impossible to eliminate all of them.
The Kwara State Secretary of the party, Mr. Adekanye
Olabode, also said the party had written to all relevant
security agencies to provide security for its prominent
members.
Olabode said, “We cannot do anything that is contrary
to the law. So we have taken the legal step. We have
also committed our lives to God’s hand who can best
secure human lives.”
Similarly, the Akwa Ibom State spokesperson of the APC,
Mr. Udobong Samuel, said the soldiers’ siege on
Tinubu’s house could mean that none of the party’s
candidates was safe in the hands of the security
agencies.
He said “When we hear something like this we raise the
alarm because if we don’t do this, something else may
happen.”
Although the Ogun State chapter of the party declined
to give details of its security arrangements, it said it was
not leaving anything to chance.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Lai
Mohammed, also said the party would rely on the
security provided by the Nigerian people.
He noted that the use of security services to serve the
interest of those in power was not only weakening their
capabilities but also putting democracy at risk.
But reacting to reports that some politicians’ security
men were carrying arms, the police said it was illegal
for politicians’ private security guards to bear arms.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu,
said, “Any private guard caught with arms will face the
consequences of his action; he and his principal will be
prosecuted and they risk going to jail for 14 years, that
is what the law says.”
Also speaking, the Civil Defence Corps Public Relations
Officer, Emmanuel Okeh, said the laws regulating
operations of private security firms in the country did
not permit them to carry arms.


source: http://www.punchng.com/news/apc-resorts-to-private-security-guards/