The Senate has summoned President Muhammadu Buhari to appear before it
over the repeated killings in Benue and other parts of the country.
The resolution followed a deliberation of a motion on “Continued Killings
in Benue State” sponsored by the lawmaker representing Benue North West,
Senator George Akume.
The motion was extensively debated on Thursday in Abuja by the lawmakers
who concurred with an earlier summon of the President by the House of
Representatives on the same issue.
The killings in the country have become worrisome to state governments and
their people, with Benue being the worst hit following the death of no
fewer than 35 people since the beginning of the week.
Two priests and 17 other worshippers were killed in Gwer East Local
Government Area on Tuesday, while 16 others were killed in separate
attacks on Ali Agundu and Tsav council wards of Guma LGA, barely 24 hours
later.
Suspected Herdsmen Attack Benue Villages, Kill 16 More People
Lawmakers at the Upper Chamber, however, asked President Buhari to address
a joint session of the National Assembly, suggesting measures by the
Presidency to curb the alarming rate of insecurity in the country.
Members of the Senate further condemned the recent killings in strong
terms, with Senator Mao Ohuabunwa stressing the need to declare a state of
emergency in the affected states to enable the military to go in and put
an end to the killings.
Senator Gbolahan Dada, on his part informed the Red Chamber that more than
2,000 Nigerians have lost their lives in the attacks. He then requested
the Senate to visit the states affected with Benue as the first.
Another senator, Barau Jibrin, decried that the security agencies are not
doing enough to put an end to the killings which he said were aimed at
destabilizing the country.
“This is the time to look into the killings in so many states. This shows
that our security agencies need to work very hard to put an end to the
killings,” Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso said, while Senator Adamu Aliero was
worried that the killing of the Catholic priests might cause a religious
crisis in the country.
Other lawmakers want the military to be sent to Benue and find the
killers, while Senator Adamu Aliero told the Senate to take appropriate
action and not just pass motions.