Kuje Prison Attack: Stop Tackling Me -Fani Kayode Tells DHQ

Following the attack on the Kuje Custodial Centre on Tuesday night in Abuja, Former Aviation minister and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Fani-Kayode had on Thursday in Abuja, requested that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) concentrate on their job of curbing the menace of insecurity in the country rather than attacking his personality.

This came after Mr Fani-Kayode had taken to his social media page to criticise the Nigerian Military for incompetence in their job hence the ease for the perpetrators to attack the Prison even though they were alerted prior by a secret police.

Reacting, the DHQ said the allegations against it by Mr Fani-Kayode were untrue and unsubstantiated.

The DHQ called on Nigerians to disregard Mr Fani-Kayode, who according to them, is known for falsehood.

In his reaction, Mr Fani-Kayode urged the DHQ to focus on its role of fighting insurgents and not engage him in a media war.

He accused the military of trying to gag him not to speak up to what he described as their abysmal performance in the last two years.

"I would advise strongly that the military High Command and Defence Headquarters spends its time facing up to and fighting the terrorists that have turned our nation into a functional killing field and horrendous bloodbath and abattoir over the last few years and attempt to carry out their constitutional role of protecting us from enemies within and without rather than trying to engage me in a press war or cow me into silence," he said.

He maintained his stand that he has no respect for the present military leadership whom he said has ill-equipped its rank and files, hence they are killed daily.

"Either way I have NO respect for the leadership of the Armed Forces as presently constituted and neither am I compelled to do so by decency, morality, the constitution or the law.

The truth is that I am disgusted by their poor performance and utterly ashamed of their shameless impunity.

"A citizen complains about the fact that our people are being killed and instead of showing remorse for the dereliction of their duty they are spending their time issuing puerile, infantile and meaningless press statements and trying to rationalise their recurrent and consistent failures.

"If you want our respect, then please do better. If you do not want to be criticised, then work harder.

If you do not want people to demand your sacking or resignation then do your job and stop seeking to intimidate, attack, discredit or undermine those that criticise you," Mr Fani-Kayode said.

The former minister said he is not an enemy of the military but rather a true friend who is candid and courageous enough to speak the bitter and plain truth even where others dare not.