The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has reacted to the rescue operation of an American citizen by the US Navy SEAL Team 6
It was gathered that the American, Philip Walton, 27, was abducted by unknown gunmen from his farm in Massalata, the southern Niger Republic close to the border with Nigeria, and held for ransom by his abductors.
The kidnappers moved him to Nigeria from where he was rescued on Saturday by the US special forces in a daring raid before he could be sold or used for any potential negotiations, officials told Fox News.
However reacting to the development, the country’s main opposition party said that the swift operation by the United States to rescue her citizen held hostage by bandits on Nigerian soil has further confirmed that the Buhari Presidency can neither secure the territorial integrity of the nation nor arrest the wave of insecurity ravaging the country under its watch.
The party described the situation where the United State “had to come on our soil to pull a rescue, as an international embarrassment and shows how low the Buhari Presidency had fallen in its failure to guarantee the safety of lives and property in our country.”
US citizen, Philipe Nathan Walton was kidnapped in the Niger Republic/Nigerian border a few weeks ago after his offer of 40 dollars failed to persuade his abductors.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said “the fact that under President Muhammadu Buhari, bandits and abductors from neighbouring countries now freely cross into our nation to use our soil as detention camps further shows the failure of his administration to secure our national borders and territorial integrity.
“It also shows that contrary to claims by the Buhari administration, parts of our country are still under the control of bandits and insurgents.
“It is indeed grossly disconcerting that under our Commander-in-Chief, a general, who had consistently promised to lead from the front, it took a foreign country to come on our soil to rescue their citizen, while hordes of our citizens are reportedly being held, tortured and killed in various kidnappers’ and insurgents’ dens in various parts of our nation.”
“The PDP also charges all Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue to pray for our nation at this trying time.”
US Rescue Operation Again Confirms Buhari’s Incompetence, Says PDP
The swift operation by the @WhiteHouse to rescue her citizen held hostage by bandits on Nigerian soil has further confirmed that the @MBuhari Presidency can neither secure the territorial integrity of our… pic.twitter.com/P2M6nyNT27
— Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) November 1, 2020