The Nigerian Senate on Thursday, April 25, 2019, has invited Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, for a briefing over the spate of kidnappings across Nigeria.
The lawmakers said the invitation is to help profer lasting solution to the menace.
The IGP’s invitation is one of the many resolutions made after a deliberation on a motion on the “senseless killing of a Briton and the abduction of three others in a Holiday Resort in Kaduna State by armed bandits.”
The motion was sponsored by Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central.
The Briton, Faye Mooney, an aid worker, was killed in Kajuru Castle, a recreational location in Kaduna State last week.
The armed bandits killed Ms Mooney, Matthew Oguche, a Nigerian training assistant with the International NGO Safety Organisation, INSO, and kidnapped three others.
Leading the debate, Mr Sani said attacks on individuals, houses, and villages have become too many and not one suspect has been prosecuted for the crime.
He expressed worry that the bandits tend to be gaining more courage to perpetuate their acts “due to their acclaimed superior firepower.”
While stating that Kajuru and Kaduna State are under siege, he said the northern part of Nigeria has become a theatre of killings and kidnappings.
In his remark, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the recent happenings were not the first time a non-Nigerian (especially construction/aid workers) was kidnapped in the country.
He said if nothing is done, Nigeria will continue to be profiled as a terrorist state abroad.
“This nation’s security has been breached. Tourists who have plans of coming to Nigeria will now think twice before coming. And this is affecting our economy.
“It is important to take this issue seriously in order to protect our national image. Even if it means declaring a state of emergency in affected states, so be it,” Mr Ekweremadu said.
Andrew Uchendu, who condemned the act, blamed it on the idleness of the Nigerian youth.
“The truth is these things keep happening because the youth are idle and have a lot of energy.”
According to him, if the youth are engaged, the rate of such crimes will drastically reduce.
It was during the resolutions that Mr Ekweremadu suggested that the IGP be invited as he hoped he (Mr Adamu) will honour the invitation.
“Mr President, since we now have a new IGP – as the other one was uninterested in talking to us, let us invite him to give a holistic view of the state of kidnapping across the country with a view to finding a lasting solution,” he said.
This prayer was seconded and unanimously adopted.
The Senate also resolved to urge security agencies to immediately deploy the use of drones and interceptors in tracking kidnappers asking for ransom.
The Senate also resolved to fast-track the concurrence of the Police Reform and the Police Trust Fund Bills with the House of Representatives for transmission to the president for assent.
Other resolutions are to “urge telecommunications companies to provide security agencies with information in areas where there are kidnappings”, and “urge community leaders, traditional rulers and all stakeholders to co-operate with security agencies.”
The Senate also urged security agencies to give special security cover to foreign workers and tourists. It resolved to send a delegation to the British embassy to console with the British government.
The Senate, however, rejected a prayer to urge the executive to sign the Peace Corps Bill to engage the youth.
Bukola Saraki, the senate president, said he hoped that there would be cooperation from the IGP as he prayed for a strong relationship between the Senate and the security agencies.
According to him, the passage of the Police Reform and the Police Trust Fund Bills is proof that the Senate “is ready to work with them.
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