The Senate has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to conduct a thorough review and evaluation of the strategies employed by security agencies in combating the rising wave of banditry in the North West region and across the country.
The Red Chamber also advised President Tinubu to seek “the direct 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”
While it frowned at the lack of synergy between the relevant security agencies, the lawmakers urged them to collaborate with the respective State governments, local communities, traditional leaders and stakeholders to gather intelligence and enhance security operations in affected areas across the country.
The Senate resolutions and individual lawmakers’ contributions were sequel to a motion, “Urgent Need to Review Security Approach in Addressing Banditry Attacks in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Kebbi States in the Northwest of Nigeria.”
It was sponsored by the Senator representing Katsina North, Senator Nasiru, Sani Zangon Daura.
Checks revealed that about 20 lawmakers from the region were co-sponsors.
The Senate which acknowledged the nexus between insecurity and food shortage further called on the Military and security agencies “to be proactive and innovative in their strategies to secure farmlands, so that farmers may return to the farms, thereby ensuring increased food production and food security, thus mitigating against ever-rising food production and food inflation currently being experienced in the country.”
Former Senate Majority Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, in his contribution, expressed frustration over the pervasive insecurity in the North as he noted that relatives of victims of kidnappers were being forced to pay outrageous sums as ransom by the bandits.
He said:” The entire North Central and North West are on fire. There is no security anywhere. We pay kidnappers. This thing has become commonplace. We don’t see it as news again. It is ubiquitous. Are we going to continue to talk? There is no recommendations being made now that haven’t been recommended.
“Mr. Senate President, we must reach out to the President of this country to look at our recommendations. It is all-encompassing. We have wasted a lot of resources at this National Assembly but nothing has been done. We won’t give up on this nation. ”
Senator Abdul Ningi, spoke in a similar vein as he also accused security agencies of compromise. He specifically tasked President Tinubu to seize the initiative on the timeline for his service chiefs to combat insecurity.
He said, “Mr . President is the appointed authority. I think he must give a time frame for his Service Chiefs when appointing them.
“There must be a timeline for IGP and others when they are being appointed. 10,000 bandits can’t be holding over 250 million Nigerians to ransom.
“We need to sit down with Mr. President and give him the information that he doesn’t have. We must give them what they need, there must be a 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.”
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