Senate summons military, Customs, others over insecurity

The Senate has summoned the military and other security agencies over the rising insecurity challenges in the country.

The Red Chamber further resolved to invite the Service Chiefs to brief it in a closed session on steps being taken to mitigate rising insecurity in the country.

Senate resolutions were sequel to its consideration and adoption of a motion moved by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua at plenary on Thursday.

The Senate also commended the security forces and agencies in Nigeria for the ongoing efforts made to fight all forms of insecurity in the country.

The Senate also urged the security agencies to improve and enhance their inter-operational synergy and coordination for the effective and holistic tackling of the various types of insecurity plaguing the nation.

It also asked the Security agencies to develop a National Security Policy document outlining the framework for an improved and streamlined synergy and coordination between the various security agencies and embark on joint training to enhance their capabilities and effectiveness in dealing with all forms of security challenges bedevilling our dear nation.

According to Yar’Adua, the contemporary security landscape in Nigeria poses unprecedented challenges that outstrip the protective capabilities of any security agency alone.

Therefore, the fight against insurgencies and other novel security crises requires the collaboration of all the relevant security agencies and MDAs.

The lawmaker stated, “Nigeria has various security agencies aside from the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the Nigeria Police Force. These include the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other authorised Civilian Task Forces.

“Nigeria has other key security services that oversee both internal and external threats: the Department of State Service, the Defence Intelligence Agency, and the National Intelligence Agency.”

Senator Yar’Adua further stressed that “Nigeria was facing numerous simultaneous security crises. These include the Boko Haram in the North- East; the activities of bandits and kidnappers in the North-west; the activities of gunmen in the South-east and South-south; and other forms of criminality like armed robbery, herders/farmers clashes and cross-border crimes.”

Yar’Adua even noted that the “kidnapping of Major General RC Duru in Owerri, Imo State on 27th September 2023 by members of IPOB, and the overall nefarious acts of the proscribed outfits, and the much-touted ‘unknown gunmen’ in the Eastern part of the country;

“On the 3rd of October 2023, at least five people were killed, and some others injured when bandits attacked the Anguwar Dankali community in the Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State;

“Troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN on Operation HAKORIN DAMISA IV from 9 to 16 October 2023 neutralised bandit/armed robbers and arrested 59 suspects in connection with kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, railway vandalism, gunrunning, illegal mining as well as recovered arms/ammunitions and illicit drugs.”

The lawmaker quoting reports gathered from the Punch Newspaper on the 18th of October 2023 that “no fewer than 50 people including a district head, women, and children, have been abducted while three others were reportedly killed in an attack by bandits in Bagga, a mining village in Zamfara State;

He also stated that “On the 20th of October 2023, bandits in their numbers raided Danmusa town, the headquarters of Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State, killing 7 people, and injuring 10 people and kidnapped a yet to be ascertained number of people. Furthermore, the bandits also attacked the people of Wurma, Tamawa and Dadawa villages in Kurfi LG killing people and rustling cattle.

“The primary focus of security agencies should be directed at making Nigeria safe, the insecurity in Nigeria can only be tackled if all security agencies and Parastatals that play key roles in National security work in synergy under a centralized command structure to ensure that the country is highly secure This cooperative effort reinforces the interdependence and interrelatedness of Nigerian security agencies.”

Credit: The Punch