A former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Kawu Baraje, has made startling claims linking Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis to actions taken during the 2015 general election.
Speaking in Ilorin during events marking his 70th birthday celebration, Baraje alleged that Fulani militias from countries such as Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Niger, and Chad were brought into Nigeria to aid in the electoral victory of the APC in 2015.
Baraje, who once served as National Secretary of the PDP and later as Chairman of the breakaway nPDP faction, said these foreign fighters were never repatriated after the election, and have since contributed to the escalating insecurity across the country.
“We are not asking the right questions,” Baraje said. “The Fulani we grew up with are not the ones causing mayhem. These are people brought in from outside, and now they have turned on us.”
He criticized Nigeria’s security agencies for their lack of transparency, questioning why details of arrested suspects have not been made public.
“Security operatives have made arrests, but who are these people? Why is the government silent about their identities?” he asked.
Baraje also expressed support for regional self-defense efforts, especially in the Southwest, citing the Federal Government’s failure to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect lives and property.
“When people like Sunday Igboho reacted to the herdsmen crisis, it was because the system failed to act. What choice did the people have?” he stated.
On the recent efforts by APC governors to woo former President Goodluck Jonathan back into the party, Baraje dismissed the move as “a waste of time,” insisting it lacks sincerity.
Baraje said he and others within the APC had warned party leaders in 2015 about the potential consequences of allowing foreign mercenaries into the country for political purposes, but those warnings were ignored.
“We saw this coming and sounded the alarm, but no one listened. Now, the country is grappling with the aftermath,” he said.
