Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity has assessed the intention of bandits’ attack on the headquarters of the Nigerian Defence Academy – Kaduna, stating that the incident might be politically motivated to embarrass the APC administration.
“Is it political, did somebody want to embarrass the government by doing this?” he questioned during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.
“So many scenarios are being created though, could this be a criminal act to violate the sanctity of that military institution? Was it an opportunistic crime?”
“So, in a climate — political climate — in which people seek to make political capital out of this unfortunate incident, you don’t rule in anything, you don’t rule out anything.”
Bandits had in the early hours of Wednesday stormed NDA’s permanent site, killing two officers and abducting one other officer.
They came in a vehicle and passed through the security gate into the academy, disguising in military uniforms, after which they proceeded to the officers’ quarters.
When asked how his principal reacted to the incident, Shehu said the President who was obviously sad, denounced the attack.
While describing the attack as unfortunate, the presidential spokesman noted that it could have been avoided.
He also commiserated with the families of the slain military officers that lost their lives, regretting that the attack is coming at a time when the military is recording tremendous success in the ongoing fight against terrorism and banditry.
Shehu added, “We are coming from major successes. Look at how Boko Haram is unravelling in the north; they surrendered. All of the victories that have been recorded even in the northwest — these bandits are being taken out in large numbers.”
Reacting to Governor Bello Matawalle’s call for a state of emergency in the northern region, the presidential spokesman said the issue goes beyond President Muhammadu Buhari.
Shehu called on the Zamfara leader to hold talks with the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and President Buhari to specifically explain the exact terms of the emergency he means in order not to violate the nation’s Constitution.
