Nigerian lawyer and Human right activist, Femi Falana has said that the Security State Service was warned about the terror attacks on churches and mosques before they occurred.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, July 6, Falana noted that the federal government has failed to act on the intelligence reports they receive.
According to him, there is a lot of lackadaisical attitudes on the part of the government. Adding that the government only result to releasing press statement to condemn the attacks and send sympathies to the victims but refuse to act on the premeditated attacks.
He noted that the “criminal element has taken over and are now in firm control of violence in the country.”
Femi Falana urged government to review the security architecture in the country and pay more attention to intelligence reports.
Read excerpts of his claims below
“If terrorists could launch a successful attack and release prisoners, the situation calls for a general review of the security architecture in the country. I mean these coordinated attacks, clearly, there are serious problems that the government has refused to address with respect to the security situation of the country.
“Apart from the regular press statements oozing out of the villa assuring Nigerians of the security of the lives and property of everybody here, out there no one is secured, no one is safe, so for me, we have to go back to the drawing table.
“Government receives intelligence reports regularly. In fact, the state security service as I did note recently as almost been compelled to go public and warn Nigerians that churches and mosques, and some other places might be attacked. And those institutions have been attacked. I then urge the federal and state government to pay more attention to intelligence reports.
“I think there is a lot of lackadaisical attitudes on the part of the government. Apart from issuing statements either to condemn terrorists’ attacks or express sympathy to the victims and the rest of them but beyond that what steps are being taken by the government to be ahead of the terrorists. Every government must control the monopoly of violence. But here the criminal element has taken over and are now in firm control of violence in the country. And that requires the authorities to really sit down and address the problem. The solutions are available.”
