New Telegraph

Insecurity: Senators express frustration over state of the nation

CHUKWU DAVID reports on the recent debate that took place in the Senate during which members of the Red Chamber expressed fears and frustration over worsening insecurity in the country as well as proffered solutions

In recent times, there has been palpable apprehension across the country stemming from the worsening state of insecurity, which has threatened the peace, unity and corporate existence of Nigeria. This fearful development is being manifested in banditry, kidnapping and violent attacks on farmers by herdsmen in villages and communities in virtually all the geopolitical zones of the country.

The most recent is the menacing activities of Fulani herders in the South- West, particularly Ondo and Ogun states, a situation which compelled the Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akerodoru, to issue eviction order to herders occupying some forest reserves in the state.

The pronouncement of the governor, however, provoked divergent reactions among the citizenry, with obvious ethnoreligious biases influencing and dominating people’s positions on the issue. While most political leaders from the North vehemently condemned the eviction order by the Ondo State governor, most opinion leaders from the South, saw it as a step in the right direction, a development that has overheated the polity of late. On its part, the Senate, which resumed plenary last week from Christmas and New Year recess, decided to intervene in the security situation, by bringing a motion to its floor, with a view to proffering solutions to the situation. In their resolutions, the senators among others warned that Nigeria is on the precipice of a civil war and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare insecurity a national emergency.

The senators also urged President Buhari to flush out foreign invaders and other criminal elements terrorizing Nigerians, since security agencies and government officials had consistently claimed that most of the killer herdsmen terrorizing Nigeria are not citizens of Nigeria.

The lawmakers, who expressed frustration over the escalating state of insecurity in the country and the failure of the Federal Government to effectively tackle the situation, also insisted that the most effective way of addressing the problem is for government to establish state police.

They expressed these views during a prolonged debate on a motion brought to the floor by the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Ajayi Boroffice and co-sponsored by 104 other senators on “General Insecurity in Nigeria.” While leading debate on the motion, Boroffice chronicled all the menacing security developments in the country in the recent past, stressing the urgent need for something drastic and result oriented to be done before it consumes the nation.

At the end of his presentation, senators took turn to express their views and proffer solutions to the aggravating situation, with many of them lamenting and regretting that Senate resolutions on security had always fallen on deaf ears of the executive arm. While contributing, Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South) lamented what she described as the hypocrisy of those at the helm of affairs in handling the security challenges in the country. She maintained that if government is serious, it would have declared the security situation as a national emergency.

“We are living in denial on the state of insecurity in the country and I think that it is necessary we declared a state of emergency on the country’s security like we did with the COVID-19 because insecurity has more casualty figures in Nigeria than COVI-19,” she said.

In his contribution, Senator Binos Yaroe (PDP, Adamawa), frowned that the motion was not properly titled, saying that the suitable caption would have been “menace of Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria.” Defending his position on the title of the motion, Yaroe said that most of the incidences of terrorism happening across the country are perpetrated by the Fulani herdsmen.

The lawmaker also alleged that the killer herdsmen are being backed by the Federal Government to engage in atrocious crimes without fear of arrest, prosecution or punishment. However, in his contribution, the senator representing Nasarawa West, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, took a swipe at the Oyo State government’s decision on the alleged kidnapping and violence perpetrated by Fulanis in the state.

He said: “It is unfortunate that despite the provisions of the 1999 Constitution which guarantees Nigerians to live and conduct their businesses in any part of the country, some political leaders would go ahead to ask some Nigerians to leave some parts of the country.” Adamu’s position was immediately countered by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), who condemned what he described as attempt by some senators to trivialize the very menacing security issue.

He explained that contrary to Senator Adamu’s remarks, “no Nigerian was sent out from any part of the country as only criminals were asked to leave forest reserves.” He added that “all criminals operating in the country must be flushed out.” On his part, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) reminded the Senate on the need for observance of constitutional provisions that prohibit trespass into others land.

This is as he maintained that state governors should be empowered to decisively deal with criminals and others who violate constitutional provisions. Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi West) criticized the N500 billion earmarked by the Federal Government for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccine, stressing that the security problem is worse than the COVID-19 pandemic. According to him, “what Nigeria needs is to spend that N500 billion on security and not on COVID-19 vaccines. And President Muhammadu Buhari should get it clear; it is not out of place for him to ask for international support to deal with the insecurity in the country.”

At the end of the debate, the Senate in addition to positions canvassed by the lawmakers, urged the Federal Government to press for a review of the ECOWAS protocol, which grants free movement of people within the sub-region. The Red Chamber also urged President Buhari to direct the National Security Adviser and the new service chiefs as well as the Inspector General of Police to device a proposal to rejig the nation’s security architecture and disposition of forces for more effective counter measures against the current security challenges, particularly in the rural areas.

It also charged state governors to re-invigorate rural governance and convene state-wide inter-communal conclaves and dialogues to promote local conflict resolution and inter-ethnic harmony. The Senate further urged the Federal Government to immediately embark on an operation to checkmate proliferation of firearms and enforce the laws against illegal possession of firearms by arresting, disarming and punishing anyone in illegal possession of arms.

It equally urged governors to implement the National Livestock Transformation Plan to prevent farmers-herders conflicts and activate highly productive livestock sector in Nigeria. The Red Chamber also urged the various security agencies to actively deploy drones and helicopters to monitor forests and ungoverned areas in Nigeria to identify illegal camps of armed bandits.

It equally charged the Federal Government to adequately equip the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to police and monitor Nigeria’s borders, using technology to check illegal immigrants as well to checkmate smuggling of fire arms and light weapons.

The Senate 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. President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks, warned politicians against ethnicising the spate of insecurity in the country, warning that doing so might incite widespread bloodshed among the various ethnic groups in Nigeria. According to him, the issue of insecurity remains one that the National Assembly will continue to debate as it affects the welfare of Nigerians.

He, however, emphasized the need for more funding to the military to enable it tackle the spate of widespread insecurity in several states across the geopolitical zones as a result of the growing activities of Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers. His words: “There’s no better investment today in Nigerian by government than making more resources available to our security agencies because security is the major thing that government can do to change the lives of the people for the better.”

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