House of Representatives has asked President Bola Tinubu to immediately deploy an aggressive, unrelenting and comprehensive security strategy to flush out bandits from their strongholds, secure all vulnerable schools and places of worship and ensure the immediate, unconditional release of all citizens currently held in captivity.
The Green Chamber summoned the minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, the national security adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, service chiefs and the inspector-general of police (IGP) to brief the lawmakers on the security situation in the country.
These resolutions followed the adoption of motions of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency of Abia State, Hon. Ibe Osonwa and lawmaker for Gummi/Bukkuyum federal constituency of Zamfara state, Hon. Sulaiman Gumi at plenary on Tuesday.
Moving his motion, Osonwa expressed grief over the unrelenting, daily escalation of banditry, mass kidnappings and terror attacks across various states of the federation which have left the nation in a perpetual state of mourning and fear.
He decried the deeply disturbing and systematic targeting of educational institutions and places of worship, which has turned schools once sanctuaries of learning and churches sanctuaries of spiritual solace into prime targets for ruthless bandits and kidnappers.
The lawmaker noted that religious congregants are now regularly attacked, abducted or killed during worship services, severely infringing upon the citizens’ fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
Osonwa stated that, “ordinary Nigerians are crying out every day, feeling entirely abandoned by the state as businesses collapse, farming communities are deserted due to terror and families are forced into extreme poverty trying to raise astronomical sums for ransom.”
He expressed concern that, “despite the trillions of Naira allocated to the defense and security sectors in consecutive national budgets, the current security architecture appears overwhelmed, reactive, and incapable of halting the sophisticated operations of these bandits.
“The apparent lack of a decisive, definitive, and crushing military response from the security agencies a collapse in the enforcement of sovereign security, leaving citizens with the grim impression that the government has lost control of vast territories within the nation.”
Adoption the motion, the House condemned in the strongest possible terms the ongoing banditry, the horrific daily abductions of Nigerian school children and the persistent attacks on schools and churches across Nigeria.
On the other hand, Gumi in his motion raised alarm over the escalation of bandit attacks in the North Western states of Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi and Jigawa as well as Zamfara.
He noted that the insecurity in Zamfara state and the entire North West has escalated into a complex humanitarian crisis, driven by armed banditry, kidnappings and the infiltration of transnational jihadist groups.
The lawmaker recalled that on the night of Tuesday and early hours of Wednesday last week,
seven students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, Zamfara state were abducted by bandits at their off-campus students’ hostel while two senior lecturers of the same Polytechnic were earlier kidnapped and had been in captivity for more than two months, despite ransom payments for their release.
He also stated pointed out the violent attack by bandits on Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara state where four people were killed and several travellers abducted while in Talata Marafa Local government area, a Councillor and a Director were abducted while travelling over Hajj activities for intending pilgrims from Jangebe and bandits killed both of them after refusing to collect any ransom.
Gumi further noted that on May 31, 17 villagers were killed when bandits in their hundreds and riding on motorcycles invaded Dangulbi community in Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto state and in Katsina state Major General Rabe Abubakar Batsari (rtd), and his wife were abducted when their vehicle was ambushed along the Marabar Musawa-Kafinsoli road in Matazu local government area of Katsina state in a previous day.
He lamented the significant security challenge with recent incidents heavily concentrated in areas like Kachia, Sanga and Birnin-Gwari local government areas of Kaduna state while in Kano state, bandit attacks have primarily impacted rural communities sharing borders with neighbouring Katsina state with the most severe incidents resulting in fatalities, livestock rustling, and abductions.
Gumi expressed concern that continuous, unchallenged movement of bandits between the towns, states and their hideouts severely undermines the credibility of the nation’s security.
According to him, if the recurring trend of insecurity and kidnapping in Zamfara state and the entire North West is not checked, it will destroy lives and ruin the socio/economic fortunes of the entire region.
