Nigerian Senators have commenced legislative activities for the year by asking the country’s President, Muhammadu Buhari to direct the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police and the newly nominated service chiefs “to devise a proposal to rejig the nation’s security architecture and dispose of forces for more effective countermeasures against the current security challenges”.
Wednesday’s debate titled “General Insecurity in Nigeria” was sponsored by 107 senators and was the major item on the order of the day.
Several lawmakers contributed to the debate and faulted the federal government for doing very little or nothing to end the insecurity in the country.
The Senate also urged the federal government “to embark on an operation to checkmate proliferation of firearms and enforce the laws against illegal possession of firearms by arresting, disarming and punishing anyone in illegal possession of arms, and for state governors to implement the National Livestock Transformation Plan – a modern scheme designed to eliminate transhumance in order to prevent farmer-herder conflicts and activate highly productive livestock sector in Nigeria”.
The lawmakers also called on security agencies to deploy drones and helicopters to monitor forests and ungoverned areas in Nigeria
A Senator from Adamawa State, Binos Yaroe, however, roused mixed reactions when he said the topic should be “the menace of Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria” as according to him Fulani men are being encouraged or allowed to do whatever they like in the country.
“Every time kidnappers are arrested seven or eight turns out to be Fulani”.
“It is so because the Fulani men are being encouraged or allowed to do whatever they like. Recently, a Fulani herder was accused of causing mayhem and kidnapping a district head and in his response, he said, we are not learned, we don’t know anything.
“The only thing we know is to graze our cows in the bush, it is you learned Fulanis that buy guns and give us and send us on missions. These people are being supported in high places. It must stop,” the Senator said.
By Abel Ejikeme
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