By Divine Sam

Catholic priest, Rev. Father Chinenye Oluoma, has called on President Bola Tinubu to take responsibility for security breaches that lead to attacks and violence at political campaign rallies across the country.

Oluoma said while individuals who deliberately disrupt political activities should be held accountable for their actions, the government has a duty to protect lives and property, regardless of the political affiliation of those involved.

The priest made his position known in a Facebook post on Thursday, following reports of repeated attacks on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during campaign activities.

He expressed little sympathy for individuals who interfere with the rallies of political parties they do not support, particularly those allegedly recruited or paid by politicians and their associates to cause trouble.

“If you are dumb enough to go and disrupt the campaign rally of a political party you don’t support because some politicians or their aides gave you some lousy amount of money, we won’t waste our tears at your obituary,” he said.

However, Oluoma maintained that the responsibility for ensuring security at political gatherings rests with the government, provided the organisers have notified the appropriate security agencies ahead of such events.

He argued that under Nigeria’s current security arrangement, the President bears ultimate responsibility for the protection of citizens.

“If a party’s campaign rally is disrupted by some rascals and they are not stopped or apprehended by security agents, hold President Tinubu responsible,” he said.

The cleric further argued that the President should also be held accountable if anyone is killed by a mob over an alleged attempt to disrupt a campaign rally and those responsible are neither arrested nor prosecuted.

Expressing concern over the reported incidents of mob violence and killings at political gatherings, Oluoma urged the government to take decisive measures to prevent further attacks.

He also criticised the denial of public venues to opposition parties for campaign activities, insisting that every political party should have access to public spaces and adequate security for its programmes.

According to him, until an effective state police system is established, the responsibility for maintaining security and protecting lives and property remains with President Tinubu.