By John Alechenu, Abuja
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Senator Ayodele Arise, has urged President Ahmed Tinubu not to rule out military action, if necessary, to secure the release of Nigerian soldiers reportedly being held hostage in Burkina Faso.
Arise made the call on Saturday while speaking on an Arise Television morning programme monitored in Abuja.
He was reacting to a recent disclosure by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, that Nigerian soldiers aboard a Nigerian Air Force transport aircraft, which made a forced landing in Burkina Faso, were still being held by authorities in the neighbouring country.
Tuggar had told journalists on Thursday that the Federal Government was handling the situation through diplomatic channels.
“We are discussing how we can resolve this delicate matter as quickly as possible, and we’re talking. So it’s something that is being handled diplomatically,” the minister said.
Burkina Faso, alongside Mali and Niger, recently withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to form the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) following the emergence of military governments in the three countries.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s armed forces are currently stretched across several theatres battling insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality, Senator Arise expressed confidence in the military’s capacity to act decisively if the situation demands it.
He recalled the 1976 Entebbe raid in Uganda, when Israeli commandos carried out a daring operation to rescue their citizens held hostage by terrorists, describing it as an example of decisive action in defence of national interest.
“I think we should move and do something. As a matter of fact, once they are aware that we want to do that, I am sure that the man that is President there will have a rethink because they are our neighbours,” Arise said.
“Yes, we should be friendly with our neighbours, but at the same time we should let them know that they can’t be messing with our country,” he added.
The former lawmaker, who represented Ekiti North Senatorial District, also expressed support for President Tinubu’s recent intervention, which he said helped to forestall a military coup in Benin Republic.
Commenting on the controversy surrounding the “bow-and-go” screening method adopted by the Senate for some ambassadorial nominees, Arise said the process could be interpreted in two ways.
“It is either the President and the security agencies have done a good job of due diligence on the candidates, or the senators have studied their profiles, CVs, achievements and contributions to national development,” he said.
The post Hostage Crisis: Senator Arise urges Tinubu not to rule out military option in Burkina Faso appeared first on Vanguard News.
