President Bola Tinubu.
….Says Bandits May Soon Take Over Govt Houses If Nothing Is Done
Against the backdrop of heightening insecurity in the country with worsening cases of armed banditry, terrorism and kidnapping in some parts of the country, especially in the North West and North Central geo- political zones, the Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency, ensure a review of the strategies of security agencies in the fight against insecurity in the affected zones.
Requesting the President to direct a thorough review and evaluation of the strategies employed by Security Agencies in the region, the Senate called for deployment of additional security personnel/special task force to the identified hotspots to ensure the protection of lives and properties.
The Upper Chamber also asked the relevant security agencies to collaborate with the respective State governments, local communities, traditional leaders, and stakeholders to gather intelligence and enhance security operations in the affected areas.
It further urged the President to direct the establishment of a task force to evaluate the effectiveness and implications of negotiating with bandits, conducting a thorough analysis of the short-term gains versus the long-term consequences of such actions.
The Senate also urged the Military and the Security Agencies to be proactive and innovative in their strategies to secure farmlands so that farmers may return to their farms, thereby ensuring increased food production and food security and mitigating against the ever rising food inflation currently being experienced in the country
The resolutions of the Senate on Thursday were sequel to a motion titled, “Urgent Need to Review Security Approach in Addressing Banditry Attacks in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Kebbi States in the Northwest of Nigeria.”
The motion was sponsored by Senator Sani Zangon Daura, APC Katsina North and co- sponsored by 13 others.
Presenting the motion, Senator Sani Zango Daura explained that Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Kebbi States, had been plagued by escalating banditry attacks, resulting in loss of lives, kidnapping for ransom, displacement of communities and disruption of socio-economic activities.
Zango Daura who noted that the State Governments had allocated significant funds to augment the operations of the security agencles in combating banditry and restoring peace in the region, recalled the collaboration and coordination among the State governments, security agencies and relevant stakeholders, to develop holistic and sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by banditry in the North West geopolitical zone.
He urged the Senate to take cognisance of the fact that the Governors of the States in the affected region affirmed their commitment to supporting an acceptable and workable initiatives that would promote peace, security and development in the region and pledged to work towards fostering a safe and secure environment for their people.
Sani Zango Daurza expressed concerns that the incessant banditry attacks on communities in North West region would significantly impact food production and agricultural activities, jeopardizing food security and livelihoods of the people in affected States of the region, especially in the present raining season.
In his contribution, Senator Waziri Tambuwal, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sokoto South, who called on the Federal Government to declare state of emergency in concerned states to enable security agencies to decisively deal with the terrorists, urged the security agencies to be more coordinated in their approach towards tacking the terrorists operating across the country, particularly the North West and North Central.
In his contribution, the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, PDP, Benue South expressed concern that the Ninth Senate held security summit and came up with recommendations on how the menace of insecurity could be best addressed but nothing had been achieved from that.
Senator Mohammed Dandutse Muntari, APC, Katsina West, lamented that the bandits had taken over many places in the North West, warning that if nothing drastic was done, they might overrun the whole country.
A former Leader of the Senate, Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi North), in his contribution, lamented that the entire North West and North Central were under serious fire in the hands of terrorists, saying that no single Senatorial District in Kebbi state was free from banditry.
On his part, Senator Abdul Ningi, decried a situation where only about 10,000 bandits were tormenting over 200 million Nigerians, pointing out that there were reports of complexity in the menace of insecurity among security operatives, making it impossible for the terrorists to be wiped out.
Ningi who urged the President to consider giving a time frame to appointments of service chiefs, said, “The President is the appointing authority. I think he must give a time frame for his Service Chiefs when appointing them.
“There must be a timeline to IGP and others when they are being appointed. 10,000 bandits can’t be holding over 250 million Nigerians to ransome.”
Ningi who accused some senior security chiefs of compromise, said, “We need to sit down with Mr. President and give him the information that he doesn’t have. We must give them what they needed, there must be timeline. Once they know that they can lose their jobs, they will sit up.
“I have my fear that one of these days, if care isn’t taken, one of these states will be taken over by bandits.”
Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’adua, APC, Katsina Central, said “Our security agencies for what they have been doing should be commended, at the same time, knowing how they have been losing their lives, in the fight against insurgency.”
He said, “I want to support the fact that there is need for a coordinated effort. However, we must realise that our security agencies need the right equipment and what it takes to be able to carry out this coordinated effort.
“So it is important that we realise that whenever the security agencies come to us here seeking to get this equipment, it is very important for us to realise that we have to pass their budgets. One of the impediments they are having is the issue of this envelope budget.
“As I’m talking to you, the supplementary budget of the army, the capital project appropriation is yet to be released to them. So how do you expect them to fight this battle?
“It was longed in the recurrent expenditure and yet they have not gotten what they need to fight this battle. So I think it is very important for us to understand.
“The issue of coordination, I think I even raise the motion here on the need for them to improve in their synergy. And if we remember, we invited them here and they won’t conform to us that there is a great effort in ensuring that the synergy among them.”
Remarking, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, APC, Kano North, who presided over the plenary, commended the sponsor of the motion.