The Senate, in apparent concern about the untoward activities of bandits in some parts of the country, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a total war on the bandits.
The Red Chamber at Wednesday’s plenary while calling on the president to, as a matter of urgency, rebrand the bandits as terrorists, also wants him to give orders to the military to eliminate the bandits by bombing their hideouts.
The Senate also asked President Buhari to immediately declare all known leadership of the bandits wanted and track them wherever they are for arrest and prosecution.
These formed part of resolutions reached after the chamber considered a motion on banditry in Sokoto sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Gobir.
Presenting the motion, the senator lamented that Sokoto East Senatorial District has now become a safe haven for bandits, following a crackdown on them by the military in Zamfara State.
He expressed worry that on Saturday, 25th September, 2021, 21 security personnel were killed in Dama and Gangara villages by the rampaging bandits.
According to him, out of those killed, 15 were soldiers, three riot policemen and three members of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in addition to yet-to-be-ascertained number of civilians from the neighboring villages.
He said: “This has gone to portray the seriousness of the problem which requires concerted and urgent action by the declaration of total war on banditry.
Losing such numbers of trained security personnel will further deplete the numerical strength of the security personnel we have in the country, therefore jeopardizing the security architecture of the country.”
He added that most of the bandits have now relocated to Sabon Bimini and Isa Local Government Areas due to the sustained military operation at the Zamfara axis.
The ranking senator observed that while the crackdown on the bandits was taking place in Zamfara State, no concrete measures have so far been taken in Sokoto State, leaving it totally exposed to the activities of bandits.
He further expressed worry that the present military onslaught on the bandits is not well co-ordinated because it is only being orchestrated in Zamfara State, instead of all the frontline states ravaged by bandits.
Gobir, therefore, called on the military to carry out a holistic operation on frontline states such as Sokoto, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna in order to produce effective and desired results.
Speaking after the adoption of the motion, the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, commended the efforts of the Armed Forces in the sustained fight against insecurity in the country.
While calling for increased funding for the military, Lawan charged relevant committees of the National Assembly to ensure that funds appropriated for the Armed Forces are judiciously applied for the purpose for which they are meant for.
He said: “I think the issue of insecurity is one issue we will never get tired of debating here, and we must commend our Armed Forces and other security agencies. They give their lives in trying to secure this country, and that is the ultimate sacrifice anybody could pay. I believe that they are doing their best, but we also need to do our best as a government by giving them the kind of resources that they need.
“I believe we have done that in the supplementary budget like I pointed out, but we also need to improve the annual appropriation for them. If we could pass over N800 billion in the supplementary budget, I don’t see why we cannot improve the resources up to N1 trillion and then hold our security agencies accountable.
“[And] I believe that we need to monitor the procurement processes when we give such kind of resources to our Armed Forces. The security related committees, particularly the Armed Forces-related committees – Defence, Army, Navy and Airforce Committees — need to work very closely on the procurement processes by these services. We must ensure that funds appropriated are not put in the wrong areas, and ensure that this fight is taken to its logical conclusion.”
The Senate, accordingly, as part of its resolutions, directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant federal government agencies to, as a matter of urgency, give all the necessary support to the victims of the menace of bandits in Sokoto and other parts of the country.
It also observed a minute silence in honour of the fallen heroes and civilians who lost their lives in the unwholesome activities of the bandits.
