The Senate on Tuesday urged Security Agencies to actively deploy drones
and helicopters to monitor forests and unguarded areas in Nigeria to
identify illegal camps of bandits.
This was part of its resolutions following its adoption of a motion on
the “General Insecurity in Nigeria” sponsored by Sen. Ajayi Boroffice
(APC Ondo) and co-sponsored by 106 other senators.
President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan in his remark said the National
Assembly would continue to talk about the security situation in the
country, adding that there was need to deploy more resources to fight
insecurity.
Lawan also said the state governors and local governments’ authorities
should be fully involved in the fight against insecurity to compliment
the effort of the Federal Government.
He, however, urged the Federal Government to further equip security
agencies to adequately combat insecurity in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the adoption came weeks
after President Muhammadu Buhari had nominated new Service Chiefs to
spearhead new drive to curb all forms of insecurity and brigandage in
different parts of the country.
The Senate also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the National
Security Adviser, the newly-nominated Service Chiefs, and the
Inspector-General of Police to devise measures to reposition the
nation’s security architecture for effective counter measures against
insecurity.
It also urged State Governors to immediately embark on an operation to
checkmate proliferation of firearms and enforce the laws against illegal
proliferation of firearms by arresting and punishing culprits.
It also urged the Federal Government to re-invigorate rural governance
and convene state-wide inter communal conclaves and dialogues to promote
local conflicts resolution and inter-ethnic harmony.
It urged state governors to implement the National Livestock
Transformation Plan, a modern scheme designed to prevent farmers-herders
conflicts and activate highly productive livestock sector in Nigeria.
The Senate also urged the federal government to adequately equip the
Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS)
to police and monitor the borders using technology to check illegal
immigrants and checkmate smuggling of fire arms.
It further urged the federal government to resuscitate and inaugurate
the National Task Force Commission to combat the proliferation of light
weapons, small arms and ammunition.
Boroffice in his presentation decried the killings and kidnappings in
Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Imo, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, Nasarawa, Kebbi and other
parts of the country.
He said the recurring security challenges in parts of the country had
led to issuance of unlawful eviction notices by some ethnic
entrepreneurs and groups posing as ethnic nationalists and champions.
He expressed worry that many Nigerians had injected ethnic sentiments,
adding that the development was capable of plunging the nation into
ethno-religious crisis.
He also expressed concern that if the current state of insecurity across
the nation was not curtailed it could lead to food insecurity and famine
as many farmers no longer accessed their farmlands.
He said it was the responsibility of all leaders at all levels to
address the security challenges of Nigeria, adding that the local actors
and authorities should not absolve themselves of their responsibilities.
He condemned the extra-judicial killings, banditry, kidnappings in
Nigeria, saying that every Nigerian has the right to live and acquire
property in any parts of the country.
Senators, who contributed to the motion hinged on the need to ensure
community policing, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of banditry and
other forms of criminality in the country.
They also emphasised the need to further equip the security
agencies.(NAN)