Udora Orizu in Abuja
The House of Representatives thursday held a meeting with heads of security agencies in Nigeria over the rising insecurity in the country.
The House had at the plenary last week, summoned the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu; and Director-General, Department of State Services, Mr. Yusuf Bichi, to brief it on the efforts being made to bring an end to the killings, kidnapping and armed banditry in the country.
The summons was issued after the House adopted a motion, titled, ‘Need for the relevant security agencies to bring to an end the spate of oblivious kidnappings, killings, and armed banditry across the country’, sponsored by Hon Sada Soli.
Presenting the motion, Soli had noted that in recent times security situation in some parts of the country has degenerated.
He said that cases of kidnapping, killings and armed banditry have become a daily occurrence across the country, especially in Niger, Sokoto, Zamfara Kaduna and Katsina states.
He also said the presidential directives has not helped to drastically reduce cases of kidnapping, killings and banditry in the country due to lack of sustained tempo in the intervention,.
The lawmaker lamented that the criminals have continued to regroup in different camps in the Government Reserve Forests and surrounding villages across the country.
He said, ‘’The magnitude of the attacks on various communities has reached an alarming rate as these criminals have continued to perpetuate their criminal acts unabated. Concerned that any deferment by the security agencies to abridge the continuous horror and inhumanity will result to an enormous loss of lives, destruction of properties and immobilise the socio-economic and educational activities of various communities.’’
He expressed worries that these criminals are armed to the teeth with weapons supplied by gun runners living in cities across the country, adding that
if this criminality is not urgently addressed there will be an imminent present danger to the food security in the country.
The Service Chiefs shortly after they were admitted into the chamber by the House leader, Hon. Garba Alhassan Ado, went into executive session with the House members.
