Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson has accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress of masterminding crimes under the cover of the federal government.
In a statement issued by Francis Agbo, his spokesman, the governor alleged that the federal government had been politicising national security.
He said that leaders of the ruling party have taken advantage of “dysfunctional” Nigerian state to sponsor criminal activities in the country.
Dickson called on President Muhammadu Buhari to personally handle security matters in other to know the specific challenges in the various states.
“These APC leaders exploit the fact that Mr President is not personally involved in the handling of national security to breach national peace and security,” the statement read.
“So they take advantage of the president’s attitude and the dysfunctional Nigeria state to intimidate and blackmail security agencies for their selfish interest and in the process, endanger the safety of lives and property of Nigerians.
“These APC leaders use the name of the president to sponsor criminals to unleash savage violence on innocent citizens.
“Their aim is to cause panic and force us to align with them. A case in point is in Bayelsa state where some APC leaders hide under the protection of the federal government to stockpile arms and ammunition to maim and kill innocent citizens just to instill fear in them.
“I personally reported the situation in Bayelsa to Buhari but there has not been any decisive action from him or the federal government.
“Instead of prosecuting these criminals, the federal government has beefed up security around them. The politicisation of national security must stop for there can be no country without security!”