…Boko Haram now an industry, says Senate President
Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila have
been mandated to urgently meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and
heads of the nation’s armed forces over the renewed upsurge in Boko
Haram attacks.
The resolution of the Senate followed a point of order moved by
Senator Abubakar Kyari (Borno North), on the recent killing of 90
people in his constituency.
The Upper Chamber also urged the Federal Government to direct
the Armed Forces to urgently secure areas around the Lake Chad.
The Red Chamber also urged the National Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA) and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to
send relief materials to victims of the attacks.
It similarly urged the Federal Government to implement the
Senate’s recommendations on the restructuring of the nation’s
security architecture to enhance efficiency.
Lawan promised to mobilise his colleagues in the House of
Representatives to meet Buhari and the security chiefs.
He insisted any of the security chiefs who fails to perform up
to expectations, even with adequate provisions, should be
sacked.
Kyari ,who cited order 42 and 52 of the Senate standing rules,
lamented the killing of 90 persons – which included women and
children – on Tuesday by Boko Haram insurgents following an attack
on Foduma Kolum village of Gubio Local Government, of Borno
State.
The Senator bemoaned the resurgence of what he described as
“senseless killings” by the insurgents in recent weeks.
According to him, 17 people were killed in Gajiagana, Magimeri
local government on May 17 and 33 others killed in Nganzai Local
Government on May 22.
Kyari said: “These attacks are becoming very worrisome in view
of the fact that the Nigerian Armed Forces recently started
recording successes in the fight against insurgency.
“These attacks which have led to the massacre of hundreds of
people, also includes other Winona acts such as cattle rustling,
kidnapping, abduction and forceful displacement of people from
their ancestral communities.”
According to him: “With the coming of the rains and farming
season, the land is terribly insecure with marauding insurgents at
bay. The consequences of food shortage can better be imagined.”
Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), decried the inability of the
Armed Forces to completely rout insurgents in the North-East.
Ndume urged Lawan and Gbajabiamila to meet with President Buhari
to discuss the spate of insecurity in northern Nigeria.
Lawan said: “Boko Haram has metamorphosed from a group of
religious zealots into an industry.
“It is an industry because what they do is not religious. They
have people from different faiths and countries who are part of
Boko Haram.
“This Senate passed so many resolutions including the reports of
the various Ad-Hoc Committees we set up on Security but the problem
persists.
“I don’t want to say meeting the President is something that we
have to reveal if we do, but of course, it is natural that issues
like this will be of interest for us to discuss with the President,
and we have been doing that.
“What is necessary is for us to persist. Our Armed Forces have
their challenges, and therefore, we will continue to look at those
challenges and try to address them.
“However, where anybody is found wanting, our stand should be
that people should occupy offices based on their performance.
“There’s no point if somebody is not registering successes for
such person to continue to be there, but that is if you give that
person the necessary tools to fight.
“So, we should give them the necessary tools and then we hold
them accountable.
“We will do that in addition to, of course, meeting Mr.
President, it is not going to be the Senate President, I’ll make
sure that I have my colleague in the House of Representatives
because this is a national question”, Lawan said.
Accordingly, the Senate in its resolutions urged the Federal
Government to direct, as a matter of urgency, the Nigerian Armed
Forces and relevant security agencies to beef up personnel and
equipment deployment to critical areas especially in and around the
Lake Chad shores in order to flush out the insurgents.
The Upper chamber urged the Federal Government to direct the
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the North East
Development Commission (NEDC) to immediately send relief materials
to the victims of these attacks.
The Senate also urged the Federal Government to immediately
begin the implementation of the recommendations of the “Report of
the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Nigeria Security Challenges: Need to
Restructure, Review, and are-Organize the Current Security
Architecture” as way of addressing the nations current security
challenges.
…Boko Haram now an industry, says Senate President
Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila have
been mandated to urgently meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and
heads of the nation’s armed forces over the renewed upsurge in Boko
Haram attacks.
The resolution of the Senate followed a point of order moved by
Senator Abubakar Kyari (Borno North), on the recent killing of 90
people in his constituency.
The Upper Chamber also urged the Federal Government to direct
the Armed Forces to urgently secure areas around the Lake Chad.
The Red Chamber also urged the National Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA) and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to
send relief materials to victims of the attacks.
It similarly urged the Federal Government to implement the
Senate’s recommendations on the restructuring of the nation’s
security architecture to enhance efficiency.
Lawan promised to mobilise his colleagues in the House of
Representatives to meet Buhari and the security chiefs.
He insisted any of the security chiefs who fails to perform up
to expectations, even with adequate provisions, should be
sacked.
Kyari ,who cited order 42 and 52 of the Senate standing rules,
lamented the killing of 90 persons – which included women and
children – on Tuesday by Boko Haram insurgents following an attack
on Foduma Kolum village of Gubio Local Government, of Borno
State.
The Senator bemoaned the resurgence of what he described as
“senseless killings” by the insurgents in recent weeks.
According to him, 17 people were killed in Gajiagana, Magimeri
local government on May 17 and 33 others killed in Nganzai Local
Government on May 22.
Kyari said: “These attacks are becoming very worrisome in view
of the fact that the Nigerian Armed Forces recently started
recording successes in the fight against insurgency.
“These attacks which have led to the massacre of hundreds of
people, also includes other Winona acts such as cattle rustling,
kidnapping, abduction and forceful displacement of people from
their ancestral communities.”
According to him: “With the coming of the rains and farming
season, the land is terribly insecure with marauding insurgents at
bay. The consequences of food shortage can better be imagined.”
Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), decried the inability of the
Armed Forces to completely rout insurgents in the North-East.
Ndume urged Lawan and Gbajabiamila to meet with President Buhari
to discuss the spate of insecurity in northern Nigeria.
Lawan said: “Boko Haram has metamorphosed from a group of
religious zealots into an industry.
“It is an industry because what they do is not religious. They
have people from different faiths and countries who are part of
Boko Haram.
“This Senate passed so many resolutions including the reports of
the various Ad-Hoc Committees we set up on Security but the problem
persists.
“I don’t want to say meeting the President is something that we
have to reveal if we do, but of course, it is natural that issues
like this will be of interest for us to discuss with the President,
and we have been doing that.
“What is necessary is for us to persist. Our Armed Forces have
their challenges, and therefore, we will continue to look at those
challenges and try to address them.
“However, where anybody is found wanting, our stand should be
that people should occupy offices based on their performance.
“There’s no point if somebody is not registering successes for
such person to continue to be there, but that is if you give that
person the necessary tools to fight.
“So, we should give them the necessary tools and then we hold
them accountable.
“We will do that in addition to, of course, meeting Mr.
President, it is not going to be the Senate President, I’ll make
sure that I have my colleague in the House of Representatives
because this is a national question”, Lawan said.
Accordingly, the Senate in its resolutions urged the Federal
Government to direct, as a matter of urgency, the Nigerian Armed
Forces and relevant security agencies to beef up personnel and
equipment deployment to critical areas especially in and around the
Lake Chad shores in order to flush out the insurgents.
The Upper chamber urged the Federal Government to direct the
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the North East
Development Commission (NEDC) to immediately send relief materials
to the victims of these attacks.
The Senate also urged the Federal Government to immediately
begin the implementation of the recommendations of the “Report of
the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Nigeria Security Challenges: Need to
Restructure, Review, and are-Organize the Current Security
Architecture” as way of addressing the nations current security
challenges.