by The Ajasa News | January 30, 2020 6:28 am
By Martin Odiete, Abuja
The Senate has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency declare a National Security Emergency to address the escalating challenges of insecurity faced by the country.
The call was made moments before the upper chamber adjourned plenary on Wednesday, and after an exhaustive debate on a motion on the urgent need to restructure, review and reorganize Nigeria’s current security architecture.
This was even as the upper chamber constituted an Ad-Hoc committee to immediately engage the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Babagana Monguno, and heads of Security Agencies with a view to curbing the rising spate of insecurity in the country.
Among heads of security agencies that the Ad-Hoc committee is expected to have an interface with are the Chief of Defense Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar; and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
The composition of the Ad-Hoc Committee draws membership from the ranks of the Senate Leadership and Chairmen of relevant Committees on Security.
The members are: Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, Chairman; Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe (Member); Deputy Chief Whip, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi; Ali Ndume, Chairman, Committee on Army; Aliyu Wammako, Chairman, Committee on Defense; Bala Ibn Na’Allah, Chairman, Committee on Airforce; and George Thompson Sekibo, Chairman, Committee on Navy.
Others are: Ibrahim Gobir, Chairman, National Security and Intelligence; Haliru Jika Dauda, Chairman, Committee on Police; Kashim Shettima (Member); Kabiru Gaya (Member); Gershom Bassey (Member); Stella Oduah (Member); Abba Moro (Member); Ibikunle Amosun (Member); Yusuf A. Yusuf (Member); and Suleiman Abdu Kwari (Member).
Earlier, the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, who sponsored a motion on the need to review the country’s security architecture, lamented the recent upsurge of security challenges accompanied by the devastating loss of lives and properties.
The lawmaker, while calling on the Executive arm of government to implement the new national security strategy unfolded in December last year, advised that same must be operationalized in a manner that takes critical review of the nature, structure and disposition of security institutions, particularly the Police, Civil Defence, Intelligence, Customs and Immigration.
Abdullahi added that, “the various local, state and regional responses to these security challenges by way of self help initiative such as Civilian Joint Task Force, Hishba, Yausakai, Yanbanga and more recently, Amotekun, are mainly expression of people’s desperation and disappointment with the failure of the state security architecture to protect them”.
The lawmaker further stated that “the current structure, operational strategies, personnel training and disposition of these critical institutions has been outgrown by our contemporary security challenges.”
Abdullahi, however, said “measures and structural reforms are necessary in order to arrest the rapidly deteriorating internal security environment.”
Some Senators who took their turns to speak on the floor during the debate which lasted over three hours, called for the removal of the Service Chiefs who they faulted for running out of ideas on developing strategies needed to address Nigeria’s escalating security problems.
Other lawmakers, however, threw their weights behind the introduction of Community and State Policing as a remedial alternative to addressing the spate of insecurity in various states of the federation.
Senator Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi Central), while supporting claims that the Police force is overwhelmed by the country’s new security challenges, called for an amendment of the Constitution in line with providing for Community or State Policing to compliment the efforts of security agencies.
Accordingly, upper chamber mandated the Ad-Hoc committee to engage the National Security Institution to discuss their operational structures, funding, equipment and staff disposition with a view to reviewing the national security architecture to make it more responsive to tackling the myriad security challenges faced by Nigeria.
It also urged the committee to produce a draft implementation modality and blueprint on the ways and means of tackling the current security challenges for the consideration of the upper chamber.
………….Boko Haram: Senate condemns Plateau killings, abductions
The Senate on Wednesday condemned the abduction and killings of Nigerian citizens from Plateau State by Boko Haram.
This was even as the upper chamber warned that the anti-Plateau Hate narrative by Boko Haram is aimed at diving Nigerians along ethnic-religious lines.
The condemnations formed part of resolutions reached by the upper chamber sequel to a motion considered and brought to the floor on Wednesday by Senator Istifanus Gyang (PDP, Plateau North).
Gyang who relied on order 42 and 52 of Senate Standing Rules, in his notion titled “Anti-Plateau Narrative and Killings Orchestrated by Boko Haram: A Ploy to Polarize Nigerian Citizens Along Ethno-Religious Divides”, said a total of 27 lives were lost on Tuesday in a renewed blood bath carried out by insurgents in Kwattas, Ruboi and Marish in Plateau State.
The lawmaker said, “the consequential effects of this defective anti-Plateau narrative has led to the abduction of over 6 persons, 4 males and 2 females.
“Three boys including an undergraduate of the University of Maiduguri, were brutally murdered by Boko Haram at close range gunshots.”
According to the Gyang, “the anti-Plateau hate narrative are reminiscent of the Nazi Germany episode where the Nazi supremacist regime promoted the demonization of Jews and incited anti-Semitism as a justification for the subsequent gas chambers genocide against the Jews.”
“The xenophobic and hateful narrative being orchestrated by Boko Haram is intended to set other Nigerian citizens against those of Plateau origin.”
He added that the killings by Boko Haram is an “attempt by the fanatical sect to whip up religious and ethnic sentiments of unsuspecting Nigerians and to shift attention from its evil acts that has not spared Muslims and other Nigerian citizens of all classes and creeds from North to South, East to West.”
The lawmaker added that Nigerians are looking up to the Senate to, not only show concern, but raise a strong voice in condemning the terror unleashed against them by the activities of Boko Haram and bandits.
The Senate in its resolution, accordingly, urged Government to take additional steps to secure Nigerian citizens and in particular, those of Plateau origin who have become targets of abduction and persecution by Boko Haram.
The Chamber also urged the authorities of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Jos; and Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi to absorb all undergraduate and post graduate students of Plateau State origin currently studying in the University of Maiduguri as their safety is gravely jeopardized.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, also on Wednesday referred President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the confirmation of Dr. Isitua Obiora as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions for further legislative work.
Also considered was President Buhari’s request for the confirmation of Professor Adeolu Akande as Chairman; and Uche Onwude as member of the Nigerian Communications Commission, which was sent to the Senate Committee on Communications.
The confirmation request for Musa Nuhu as Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) was also referred to the Senate Committee on Aviation.
The committees were given two weeks to submit their reports on the President’s confirmation requests to the Chamber in plenary.
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