An anonymous alarm patterned after standard security alerts from security agencies, has warned that terrorists are planning to attack the FCT, Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kogi and Lagos States.
This comes as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Idris Wase, on Tuesday, disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS), issued not less than 44 security reports ahead of the recent attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, yet, no action was taken by the authorities.
The alert said the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) has mobilised fighters and high calibre weapons, particularly, Rocket propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers, Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns and General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), which they intend to deploy for the offensive in Katsina State.
“We have received credible intelligence that Boko-Haram and the ISWAP Terrorist groups have mobilised fighters and high calibre weapons particularly Rocket propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers, Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns and General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGS),which they Intend to deploy for the offensive in Katsina State.
“In another development, two separate bandits groups are plotting coordinated attacks on North-west, North-central and South-west (Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kogi, FCT and Lagos respectively).
“Consequently the Commandant-General, has directed you to scale up deployment in all strategic places, including schools, worship centres and critical national assets in your respective states to checkmate any possible threats by these criminal elements,” it said.
The Federal Capital Territory Command of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had, penultimate week, issued a similar alert.
When contacted, Spokesman of the NSCDC Headquarters in Abuja, Mr. Shola Odumosu, denied that the alert emanated from the agency.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Idris Wase, has disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS), actually issued about 44 security reports ahead of the attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, without any commensurate action from the authorities.
Hundreds of inmates, including members of the Boko Haram, were freed by some insurgents, who invaded Kuje Maximum Prison on July 5, 2022.
Wase, however, made this known while reacting to a motion sponsored by Hon. Abubakar Yalleman (APC-Jigawa) on the ‘need to halt the proposed nationwide ban on commercial motorcycles’.
He urged the motion sponsor to step it down, as the parliament was obligated to support the federal government in their efforts to curb the worsening insecurity in the country.
“We should cooperate with the government, though we appreciate what our brother has brought and we appeal to the government that as they implement this policy, they should look at those areas that are not vulnerable and do not have the potency of having any such insurgency in their community.
“In line with our principle to help to curb the incessant insecurity in our country, we have to cooperate with government. You can’t imagine what’s going on today in Abuja. I went through DSS report, 44 report were given before the attack of kuje prison. And it all has to do with this. There’s no community where attack will happen that you don’t have an intel. So, we have to cooperate with government,” he said.
Yalleman, had while moving his motion, urged the federal government to halt the proposed nationwide ban on commercial motorcycles and ensure that adequate palliative measures were put in place before such decisions were implemented.
He also prayed the government to restrict the proposed ban to the local government areas, where the mining activities or banditry/terrorist activities take place.
He also said the House was aware that the proposed ban of motorcycles was aimed at cutting the supply of logistics to the terrorists in the country.
But the lawmaker expressed concerns that the activities of bandits and kidnappers across the country had subjected members of victims’ families to serious psychological trauma even as they were forced to part with their hard-earned money.
He opined that while banning commercial motorcycle operations across the country as a means of curtailing security challenges, the welfare and wellbeing of the citizenry should be considered foremost, as the government has not offered palliatives measures to cushion the expected effects of the ban.
While worrying that the proposed ban could render millions of Nigerians jobless, Yalleman said putting a sizeable number of the population out of work would only aggravate the security challenges in the country.
Senate Passes Bill for Commission Against Arms Proliferation
The Senate, on Tuesday, passed a bill to establish the National Commission for the Coordination and Control of the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, 2022.
The passage of the bill, however, followed the consideration of a report by the committee on National Security and Intelligence.
The bill is a consolidation of three bills – two private-member bills and one from the executive arm of government against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.
They are “The Nigerian National Commission against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2020 (SB. 283); The Nigerian National Commission against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2020 (SB. 513); and The National Centre for the Coordination and Control of the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2021 (SB. 794).”
The three bills, after scaling second reading, respectively, in the Senate, were all referred to the Committee on National Security and Intelligence for further legislative work.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC, Sokoto East), in a presentation on the floor, said the three bills sought to provide for the establishment of a government body that would be saddled with combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria.
According to him, the functions of the body shall be in line with Article 24 of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Convention on the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons which came into force in 2009.
The lawmaker added that the Committee on National Security and Intelligence, resolved to consolidate the three bills into one, adding that doing so would adequately cater to the establishment of a Commission to implement measures aimed at eradicating illicit arms.
Gobir explained that establishing a Commission against proliferation of weapons stemmed from the need to immediately address the nation’s present state of insecurity.
The National Commission Against the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2022, was passed by the Senate, after a clause-by-clause consideration of the Committee’s report by the Committee of the Whole.
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