By Udora Orizu in Abuja
With the increasing spate of killings in the country, the House of Representatives has again passed a vote of no confidence on the Service Chiefs and National Security Adviser, calling for their immediate resignation.
It will be recalled that Boko Haram fighters on Friday, February 21, invaded Garkida town in Adamawa state around 7 pm shooting sporadically, killing people and destroying property.
The lawmakers after unanimously adopting a motion sponsored by Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, Tuesday demanded for the immediate resignation of the Service Chiefs and National Security Adviser.
The House also asked the government to urgently commence mass recruitment of Nigerians into the military.
Presenting the motion titled, ‘Motion of Urgent National Importance on the need for the Federal Government to provide adequate security, reconstruction and relief materials to parts of my constituency attacked by insurgents and for the Nigerian army to review strategy on its current campaign against terrorism’, Yakub frowned on the security situation that had continued to claim innocent lives and property of the people without a corresponding resistance from the security agencies.
He expressed concerns that if nothing urgent was done to increase number of soldiers by way of massive recruitment, the number of men in the theatres of conflict will continue to decrease and their morale will drop.
He said: “The House notes that in the recent weeks there has been a series of upsurge in the activities of Boko Haram insurgents across many parts of the northern zone which has since 2010 continue to witness incessant attacks by the group. It is easy to recall that in the last few weeks, the Auno in Borno State and Garkida in Adamawa State, attacks including others that are not reported, have left the world asking questions that remained unanswered. These attacks coming ferociously after a time the insurgents were said to have been highly degraded, to say the least, have left our people in even more grave danger and have left our homes, business premises, places of worship, farms and above all lives at the mercy of the insurgents.”
Supporting the motion, Hon. Sarki Ader from Sokoto State said that the sorry situation should naturally invoke shame on the service chiefs and the National Security Adviser who could not stop the attacks.
He said: “It is a shame on the service chiefs and National Security Adviser. We invited them here about three times. They told us they were on top of the situation but as it is today, they are not on top of anything. It a shame on the service chiefs. We should not be afraid of anything. They should resign and give other vibrant and tested soldiers opportunity. The Service Chiefs and Security adviser should go. They are against the nation. Hon, colleagues, please, support this motion and let them go.”
Also contributing, Hon. Ahmed Jaha from Borno State said that the service chiefs had completely run out of ideas.
“You must not live in your comfort zone while your constituents are dying. For how long shall we be repelling attacks in this country? My people voted for me under duress because they had been sending messages of attacks.
“Hon. Members, the service chiefs are out of ideas completely. We know this. Mr. Speaker, it is better to do something to save Nigerians. As far as I am concerned, our people are dying and I am not comfortable with that”, he said.
Java added that if this insecurity persists, he will tender his resignation.
In similar vein, the Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson, said insecurity in the country was caused by institutional failure.
Speaking exclusively with THISDAY, the lawmaker lamented that Nigeria was greatly under policed, saying that more recruitment and inventory are needed as soon as possible.
According to him, “The population of Nigeria is approximately 200 million and we cannot boast of 400,000 policemen. We need to ramp up on our recruitment, we need to ramp up on inventory like guns, ammunition and we need it as soon as possible so that we can end this war in the shortest possible time. It’s embarrassing it has lasted for over ten years. All hands need to be on deck so that we can wipe out this insurgency.”
