A former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has said that a coalition of terror groups with global links is actively plotting to establish a parallel state wthin Nigeria.
Olawepo-Hashim spoke while reacting to the recent killings in Benue State.
He called on Nigerians across religion, political and tribal divides to unite to save the country from imminent collapse, indicting the Federal Government over its persistent delay in adopting recommended strategies, such as the decentralization of policing through the establishment of State and Local Police, stressing that it suggests either gross negligence or willful complicity.
The politician described the Yelewata incident as yet another pointer to the growing sophistication of what he termed an “adaptive insurgency”; operating in the northern part of the country.
“The killings in Benue last weekend are a tragic reminder of the complete breakdown of security in Northern Nigeria. What we are witnessing is not isolated violence, but a coordinated effort by a mortal alliance of terror groups whose goal is to carve out a State within Nigeria.
“This wave of terror is not limited to Benue or the Northeast but has progressively engulfed large parts of the Northwest, including Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna and some sections of Katsina States, where communities continue to suffer loss of life, livelihoods, and dignity,”; he said.
Olawepo-Hashim also warned of the insurgency’s growing incursion into the North Central and Southern regions, citing recent activities in Kwara, Ekiti, Ondo, and Kogi States.
According to him, since 2014, the APC has found the strategy to win elections, but they have not found, or pretend not to find, the strategy to end insecurity and poverty, questioning whether elements within the ruling party may be covertly aligned with the forces of terror.
