Nigerian Senator, Gershom Bassey has said hoodlums needed only five hours to carry out massive destruction of almost a hundred private and state-owned properties last month during an “invasion” of Calabar, the Cross River state capital by criminals.
“You can’t have an invasion of five hours and you have destroyed almost a hundred buildings. There is a problem, something has really happened. It was planned, it was premeditated and Calabar was the target and so we need to get to the bottom of it,” Senator Bassey told journalists in Calabar.
The Senator who represents Cross River South Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate said the destruction in Calabar was “far more than what happened in Lagos, describing the state capital as the number one victim of the massive looting and destruction carried out across the country last month by hoodlums.
“I think that the destruction in Calabar from what I have seen in other places is even far more than what happened in Lagos. This is the major victim of this insecurity across the country.
“I have been to Tinapa, I have been to CICC and I have seen one or two other buildings, this goes beyond any protests or anything like that, almost a hundred buildings across the state have been hit in a period of five hours.
“This is a planned invasion of Calabar, one of the thirty-six capital cities in Nigeria. So if you can have an invasion of that level into Calabar, which is the territory of the federal government of Nigeria, then there is a problem. It must be investigated, we must get to the root of it and we must find out what really happened on that day,” he added.
The lawmaker also called for a full investigation to uncover the people behind the “invasion”.
“It’s important the federal government supports the state government to get to the bottom of this so that this kind of thing never ever happens again.
“This matter definitely goes beyond the state government. I have put together a motion which I am taking to the floor of the senate, I am going to call for a massive investigation and all the arms of the security agencies must be involved and we must root out those who planned these things,” he said.
By Abel Ejikeme