The Senator Representing Kogi West Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the National Assembly (NASS), Senator Smart Adeyemi has said supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari can no longer keep quiet over the security situation of the country.
Senator Adeyemi stated this on Tuesday, while debating a motion moved by Senator Sani Musa on the activities of bandits and Boko Haram terrorists in Shiroro and Rafi Local Government Areas of Niger State.
He described the present situation of the country as worse than the civil war, and that President Buhari must rise to the occasion and bring in people to save the country or else, Adeyemi said, everyone would be consumed.
“Insecurity is a serious problem today in Nigeria and there comes a time we cannot but speak the truth. Today, all of us have been threatened. We need not run away from the fact that this is the worst instability we are facing.
“In fact, this is worse than the civil war. The answer is very simple. We cannot pretend that we are capable of confronting the issues we are facing. Let us shout and call for foreign support.
“The President should get to know that we as supporters can no longer keep quiet. The nation is on fire. The President must rise to the occasion and bring in people to save this country or else we will be consumed. We cannot keep quiet any longer.
“It has gotten to a situation that we cannot sleep with our two eyes closed. Our security system has collapsed and because it has failed we need to look for foreign support.
“The President must know that this is a bad time for our nation. Let us shut down this National Assembly if we cannot save this country,” the Kogi Senator said.
Contributing to the motion, the APC Senator representing Osun Central, Senator Ajibola Basiru, who is also Spokesperson of the Nigeria Senate, said the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is incapable of securing the country as it is.
Senator Basiru, who is also Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, argued that there was need to recruit at least five thousand security personnel in each state of the federation.
“As at today the @PoliceNG is incapable of securing the country. It is also important that we need to come up with a martial plan to address this issue of insecurity in Nigeria.
“And in minimum, we need to recruit at least five thousand security personnel in each state. We should stop lamenting as a National Assembly and take actions,” he said.
Meanwhile, citing Order 42 and 52, seeking the leave of the Senate, and presenting the motion, Senator Musa lamented the activities of bandits and Boko Haram terrorists in Shiroro and Rafi Local Government Areas of Niger State, which he said has taken a dangerous dimension.
He noted: “in this hallowed chamber we have made several resolutions, set up Ad-hoc Committee on Security and declared every support at bringing an end to the persistent insecurity in our nation.
“We have appropriated budget and also advances numerous steps to support our nation’s security agencies, yet insecurity has continued to elude the nation.
“Almost seven years now Niger East Senatorial District of Niger State have come under constant and sustained multiple deadly attacks by heartless, venomous and hydra headed Boko Haram terrorists who are always heavily armed with assorted sophisticated and dangerous weapons unleashing their horror on our innocent populace”.
He further noted: “negative effects of atrocities committed by these heartless monsters in the period under review include among others, total collapse of the local economies of the affected victims, total collapse of educational system in the affected areas, famine due to collapse of agricultural activities, displacement as a result of desertion of crisis prone areas, depopulation as a result of wanton deaths, social vices such as drug abuse and thuggery emanating from struggle for survival, trauma arising from serial rape cases and inhumane, cruel and deadly subjugation.
“Unfortunately, these repeated attacks are taking place amidst absence of slightest hindrance, resistance or confrontation from the authorities concerned.
“Cognisance that about 42 communities across the two local government areas of Shiroro and Munya Local Government have so far fallen under the Boko Haram control with about 5,000 villagers already displaced in the last three days.
“They have kidnapped many and their wives seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members.
“Three military camps in Allawa, Bassa and Zagzaga in the two local government areas have been sacked and some security personnel killed by the insurgents in the last one month of renewed attacks.
“I can authoritatively confirm that the Boko Haram terrorist have mounted their flags in many of the villages they have captured such as Kaure, Alawa and Magami. Inhabitants of these war-torn parts of the State have been abandoned and left to their fate thereby compelling them to wallow in perpetual agony and abject misery.
“Furthermore at this moment primary schools in Gwada, Kuta, Pandogari and Minna have hurriedly been turned to IDP camps following the sacking of nearly 5600 villagers from their ancestral homes in Shiroro, Rafi and Munya local government areas in the last few weeks by bandits who raided the towns and villages.
“And what this means is that if they can launched attacks without hindrance in Niger East Senatorial District then I don’t see how we can be safe Abuja anymore.
“Again notes before the recent Bandits struck Kagara headquarters of Rafi Local Government, Madaka-Gari, Maikujeri, Magami, Zangouru, Bassa, Gusoro, Galadiman Kogo and Kokki villages where all attacked with casualties as more than 46 people were killed.
“And between March 2021 to date same terrorist have launched serial attacks on daily basis to adjoining villages of Alawa, Shakodna, Chiri, Kwaki, Ajatayi, Gwassa, Barden Dawaki and Gyammamiya communities in Munya and Shiroro local Government Areas of Niger State killing many innocent people which also resulted to the lost of more than 25 Gallant soldiers, mobile policemen and other security personnel, while more than 16 civilians were killed, many others unaccounted and leaving over 2300 displaced, while over 1500 are now sheltered at Primary Schools turned temporary camps at Erena, Galadima-Kogo and Zumba.
“The number of persons said to have been killed by bandits in Niger East are over 475 between January 2020 to date.
“Aware that the Federal Government had made frantic efforts in curbing the menace through various Operations to tackle cases of terrorism, banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping across Nigeria, but yet the expected return of peace in our land is unattainable.
“And this call for a total review of the nations security architecture as proposed in the report of the senate ad-hoc committee on Security.
“Further aware that confirmed reports emanating from those affected areas of Allawa and Bassa towns in Shiroro local government, Niger State indicated that the Joint Security Task Force stationed there have been withdrawn.
“However, no reason have been advanced for the withdrawal but observers believe it will not be unconnected with the casualties suffered by the JSTF during last unfortunate invasion and ambushing of the troops stationed at Alawa by the heartless, venomous and hydraheaded terrorists.
“Worried that the continuous security challenges and related attacks by terrorist on towns, villages and communities in Shiroro, Rafi and Munya Local Government Areas of Niger State have meted untold hardship on the people and has subjected the affected areas under serious survival threat.
“If this menace is not drastically addressed, the attacks will continue and the danger is that it may escalate further to other communities. which are mostly farming communities and they are farmers, may desert their farms this season and this will negatively affect the food sufficiency and economic diversification policy of the Federal Government”.
Reacting, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi said: “This issue is not just Niger, it is all over the country. My observation is what is so wrong in our system that makes us not to respect early warning signals?
“In the last 10 years there have been several reports that has given us indications that Nigeria may be entering into the situation that we are describing now. Fundamentally, what are we doing wrongly that will make us to ignore warning signals?
“That is where my concern is. We need to have a private session with the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of this country to find a lasting solution to this huge national embarrassment.
“What we are witnessing is internal insurrection that is snowballing into the case of a war”.
Meanwhile, on his part, Senator Gabriel Suswam said: “The Executive has shown clear incompetence of handling this security issue. Let us do the needful. Let us seriously sit down with Mr. President as a house to show the seriousness of what we have found ourselves in.
“Otherwise we will just find people who will overwhelm us here. Gradually people are getting very impatient. The motion moved by our colleague here is about the fourth time he has moved such a motion.
“Let us have an Executive Session and frankly discuss this thing so that we can frankly talk and come up with solutions so that we can save Nigeria”.
Also, Senator Biodun Olujimi said: “I believe we are all tired coming here to talk about insecurity, kidnapping and all the sort. We are where we must now bring out all our arsenals and use on insecurity. There is no political will to handle insecurity.
“We must know what government wants to do about insecurity and this Senate must insist and find out what they want to do”.
However, Senator Seriake Dickson blamed the issues bewildering the nation on a faulty constitutional structure, stressing that the challenge the nation is faced with is a challenge of leadership.
He said: “I am impressed that we are looking at issues passionately as we ought to. Right now, there is also loss of fate in the Nigeria dream, project and vision.
“This is why some of us including myself have taken the position that all these issues that are bewildering us is a product of the faulty constitutional structure. How can one man comfortably sit down in Abuja & police our nation of about 200 million people?
“We are about to lose the Nigeria dream and we should not let that happen. The challenge is the challenge of leadership. Everyone must rise to the occasion.
“Mr. President should rise and take leadership and do what he has to do including leading in the area of fundamental constitutional reform”.
Following debate on the motion, the Senate resolves to: “Call on the Chief of Defense Staff, the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police to immediately deploy troops to defend the unarmed populace and bring back security to the affected communities, which is the only antidote to restoring confidence in the security and safety of the affected communities.
“Urge the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police to as a matter of urgency direct for the establishment of a permanent military and police command base at the axis adjoining Shiroro and Rafi Local Government areas respectively and to redesigned the modus of operandi of the military operations within the affected areas so as to curtail the escalating insecurity.
“Direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and NEMA to as a matter national emergency provide relief materials and medical support team to the victims immediately.
“Call on the Senate to observe a minute silence for all the victims of these callous acts of criminality”.