the Senate chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.
Members of the Senate on Tuesday called for the
provision of enough state-of-the-art weapons and equipment to
effectively combat the insurgents in the North East.
This formed part of the resolutions reached after a thorough
deliberation on national security, especially as it relates to the
security challenges in the region.
The lawmaker representing Borno Central, Senator Kashim
Shettima, had cited Order 42 and 52 to seek the leave of the Senate
to move a motion on the beheading of 67 farmers by Boko Haram
insurgents.
The number given by the lawmaker is one of the conflicting
figures that trailed the incident which occurred on Saturday last
week at Koshobe, a village in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno
State.
While the military said it counted 43 bodies, the Boko Haram
terrorist group which claimed responsibility for the killing put
the death toll at 78.
Recruit 10,000 JTF Memebrs
During Tuesday’s plenary at the Red Chamber of the National
Assembly, the lawmakers took turns to contribute to the debate
which led to the adoption of nine resolutions.
In no particular order, they resolved to impress on the Federal
Government to urgently recruit at least 10,000 members of the
civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), as well as massive recruitment of
personnel into the army and police.
The lawmakers stated that such recruits should be versatile with
the local terrain in Borno and engaged as agro-rangers under the
aegis of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to
complement the efforts of the military.
They asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately initiate
the transitionary process of phasing out the current ‘over-stayed’
security chiefs and replacing them with new ones with new ideas and
solutions.
travelling in a truck.
The lawmakers urged him to take immediate steps to restructure,
remodel and revamp the nation’s entire security architecture.
They also urged the President to immediately initiate a probe
into widespread allegations of corruption and leakages within the
security structure.
The senators demanded that mechanisms be put in place to foster
transparency and ensure all resources meant and deployed for
security were actually spent on the needs on the ground.
According to them, it is important for the government to
aggressively explore multilateral and bilateral options of
partnership with the neighbouring nations of Chad, Niger Republic,
and Cameroon to revive and strengthen the Multinational Joint Task
Force (MNJTF) and finding a lasting solution to the scourge of
insurgency in the Lake Chad region.
Time To Take New Blood
The lawmakers demanded provision of proper welfare for security
personnel fighting in the frontlines and prime attention to the
compensation and welfare of fallen soldiers, saying that would
boost the troops’ morale and aid their concentration.
They resolved to direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and
relevant government agencies to compensate the families of the
farmers killed and provide succour and psychological support to
their families.
As a way of proffering long-term solution to the nation’s
existential security challenges, the lawmakers stressed the need
for the Federal and state governments to adequately address all
immediate and remote causes of insecurity.
This, according to them, must include comprehensive packages on
education, employment and other social vices.
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Among the lawmakers that contributed to the debate was Senator
Ahmed Baba-Kaita who stated that it was no longer acceptable to any
Nigerian on the present security situation in the country.
He added that the explanation by the military was no longer
acceptable, stressing that it was time for the Senate to critically
engage the security agencies.
President, Ahmad Lawan, during plenary at the upper chamber of the
National Assembly in Abuja.
“If nothing is done, then we must be prepared for another
mourning. Mr President is doing his best but if there is no result,
then his best is not good enough,” Senator Baba-Kaita said.
Senator Adamu Aliero, in his remarks, condemned the killing of
innocent people who met their end while trying to make a
living.
He insisted that there was nowhere in the world where such an
ugly incident occurred, saying the killing of the farmers was the
height of insecurity.
“Mr President should have gone to Borno State to condole with
the government and people of the state and not to send a
delegation.
“It is now time to act. The Service Chiefs have outlived their
usefulness. It is now time to take new blood,” the lawmaker
stated.
Enough Of Many Excuses!
On his part, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele urged his colleagues to
stand on existing resolutions in addition to the prayers, with an
emphasis on the call to sack the service chiefs.
For Senator George Sekibo, the primary function of a government
is to protect the people and where that is not the case, it amounts
to a failure.
He said, “Have we not failed? … We swore to this Constitution to
protect lives and property. We have deprived Nigerians who want to
farm of farming. We are crying about food shortage.
“The President is the Commander-In-Chief. If there is a failure
in the military, it means the President is not doing enough. It is
time we take the issue of community policing seriously.”
“If you take an Ijaw man to Borno State, and there is an attack,
he or she will not know where to run to. Let us use those who know
the work to do the work,” the lawmaker added.
The Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, commended Senator
Shetima for bringing the motion to the Senate.
He stated that the National Assembly, particularly the Senate,
has taken the issue of insecurity very seriously urged the
lawmakers not to get frustrated that nothing has happened yet.
“I believe that this is one set of resolutions that the
Executive must find a way of quickly implementing them. Enough of
many excuses!
“We are responsible to citizens and the first responsibility is
to secure their lives. The security of Nigeria should take centre
stage much more than anything else,” the lawmaker said.
He added, “Let us secure the people first and no investment in
security is too much, most especially when we are faced with
insecurity.”