Amnesty, ransom will encourage bandits, kidnapping, Peter Obi says
- It is wrong to pay ransom or give amnesty to bandits according to Peter Obi
- According to the former Anambra governor, these acts will increase criminality
- Going further, he blamed the federal government for the security situation of the country
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In what many Nigerians will see as a fresh view, the call for ransom payment or amnesty for kidnappers has been slammed by the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections, Peter Obi.
Obi said doing any of this would encourage criminality in the country.
Punch reports that he disclosed this in an interview with journalists on the sideline of the presentation of a book, ‘Made in Aba,’ an autobiography of the Senate minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, in Abuja on Monday, March 1.
Source: Twitter
He said:
“By paying a ransom, you’re paying people who aren’t productive. People are making money without being productive.
“To pay people for going into crime is unacceptable. If you’re going to pay kidnappers and grant them amnesty for committing a crime, you’re simply asking everyone to take to crime.”
Going further, he blamed the federal government for the growing insecurity and worsening poverty in the country.
He said the government must allow power devolution to the federating units.
In another development, Christian leaders have been urged by Peter Obi to resist the temptation of preaching prosperity gospel without hard work.
Obi made the disclosure while speaking at the opening ceremony of the Standing Committee meeting of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, at All Saints Cathedral, Onitsha, Anambra state.
The former governor of Anambra state noted that the country had gradually been turned into a society without values, honesty, hard work, and integrity with the trend of preaching prosperity.
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Meanwhile, Pat Utomi, a former presidential candidate and professor of political economy, has stated that Nigerian leaders should be ashamed the older generation enjoyed a better living standard than the current youths.
Utomi attributed lack of discipline and gross corrupt practices as the reasons for underdevelopment in the country.
According to him, Nigeria must inculcate with the habit of "force-saving" so that the country can move from being stagnant to a first-class economy like Singapore, an Asian country.
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Aanu Adegun is a politics and current affairs content editor at Legit.ng with over 7 years of experience in both digital and traditional media. A graduate of English Studies from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo state, Aanu started his journalism career as a features writer. Aanu, who is also a creative writer has written books and children magazines. He once anchored some specialised pages of a national newspaper. Aanu is also a satirist.
Source: Legit.ng
