the Senate.
The Senate has recommended that President Muhammadu
Buhari remove the Service Chiefs and replace them with people with
fresh ideas and solutions.
The lawmakers are also asking President Buhari to restructure
and remodel the entire security architecture and investigate
allegations of widespread corruption and leakages within the
security architecture.
The lawmakers made this recommendation at Tuesday’s plenary
during a debate on security in the nation and the attack on rice
farmers in Borno State which left at least 40 dead.
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Republic
The Upper Chamber also recommends the recruitment of 10,000
civilian JTF to complement the efforts of the armed forces and
explore a multilateral partnership with Niger, Chad, and
Cameroon.
Former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima had
earlier raised the motion at plenary noting that President Buhari
should remove the security chiefs and replace them with new ones
with ideas to address the alarming insecurity in the country.
The lawmaker also claimed that 67 farmers were killed in the
attack.
He warned that any government that cannot protect the lives of
its citizens has lost any iota of legitimacy.
Senator Ali Ndume in his contribution to the debate lamented
that the national budget is woefully inadequate and soldiers do not
have enough arms and ammunition.
He said he has observed in t he course of visiting military
formations soldiers sharing arms and ammunition. He also claims
that he has not seen any soldier wielding a brand new AK47
rifle.
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Senator Ndume suggested that Nigeria should explore the use of
mercenaries to assist in fighting Boko Haram.
Zabarmari Massacre
43 farmers were killed on Saturday morning around Marrabati and
Hammayya villages, near Zabarmari in Jere Local Government Area of
Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists while on their way to their
farms.
The farmers were waylaid on their way to their rice farms which
they were harvesting before the surprise attack happened.
Some other farmers were also taken away by the insurgents.
The State Governor Babagana Zulum during the burial of the
farmers on Sunday morning lamented that “it is disheartening that
more than 40 citizens were slaughtered while they were working in
their farmlands,” and also expressed condolence.
The governor later on Monday gave recommendations to the Federal
Government on how to win the war against the terrorists. He noted
that engaging mercenaries, as well as the immediate
recruitment of youths into the military to boost its strength, will
go a long way to defeat the insurgents.
President Muhammadu Buhari condoled with the victims and their
families.
In a tweet, on Monday, President Buhari said he has given a
‘marching order’ to the Nigerian Military to take the fight to the
insurgents, not on a one-off, but on a continuous basis until “we
root out the terrorists.”