By Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu
The Senate has called on the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, and other security agencies to carry out a comprehensive probe into the killings and kidnapping of citizens in Ebonyi State by alleged herdsmen.
The security agencies were also mandated to arrest, prosecute the perpetrators and rescue the kidnapped victims still in captivity.
The upper chamber at the plenary yesterday while condemning attack in various communities of Ebonyi State by alleged herdsmen, also urged the federal and state government to put appropriate measures in place to forestall further attacks.
It further urged NEMA to provide relief materials to the families and victims of displaced persons.
These resolutions were sequel to the consideration of a motion brought to the floor by Senator Sam Egwu (PDP, Ebonyi North).
Coming under Order 42 and 52 of the Senate Rules, Egwu, in the motion titled: “urgent need for the federal government’s intervention to end the serial killing of innocent and defenseless citizens in Ebonyi State by alleged herdsmen”, bemoaned the general state of insecurity in the country.
He lamented that killing, maiming, kidnapping and wanton destruction of lives and property by herdsmen have now become the daily experience of citizens of innocent and defenseless people of Ebonyi State who are murdered in their numbers almost on weekly basis.
The ranking Senator expressed concerns that if urgent action was not taken, the killings would continue and thereby subjecting Ebony people and other citizens in Ebonyi state to severe hardship and terrific fear.
Contributing to the motion, Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu North) advocated for inter-agency interventions that would put a halt to herder killings across the country.
He said: ‘’Everyday we come here and report the killings of our people in the hands of herdsmen; this is becoming very worrisome. Issues of this nature keep repeating themselves on daily basis. In order to solve this herders’ issue, I think we should have a think- tank meeting with agriculture, water resources to sit down and define how we can solve this. Something urgent has to be done, enough is enough”.
Also speaking, Senator Michael Nnachi (PDP, Ebonyi South) lamented the number of lives lost to communal clashes between communities and herdsmen killings.
According to him, the ceaseless killings had made citizens in Ebonyi State to live in fear of being attacked by herdsmen
He said, ‘’I got a call this morning that nobody slept in Abakiliki, for fear of the herdsmen attacking at night. Something must be done to secure the lives of the people. In less than three weeks over 32 people were killed by herdsmen, over 700 killed in communal clashes.’’
Adopting the motion, the Senate observed one-minute silence for those who lost their lives in the attacks.
