Herdsmen menace: Reps gives marching order to IGP, COAS

.Probes NPDC over infractions, AICL for non-remittance of N2bn

Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major- General Tukur Buratai, to as a matter of urgency set up a joint taskforce to deal decisively with menace of herdsmen in Edo and other neighbouring states.

This is as the House also charged the Department of State Service (DSS) to be proactive in monitoring the area so as to prevent further escalation of the atrocious acts by the herdsmen on harmless farmers.

The resolution followed a motion titled: ‘Need to Arrest and Prosecute Suspected Book Haram Members Parading as Herdsmen in Etsako Federal Constituency’ sponsored by Hon. Johnson Oghuma (Edo, APC).

Leading debate on the Motion, Oghuma lamented the growing state of insecurity in Etsako, Edo State that has led to incidences of rape, killings and kidnapping by people purported to be herdsmen.

The lawmaker disclosed that the unfortunate incidences were more rampant around Auchi-Warake and Okpella communities in the local government area.

He recalled that on June 9, 2017, one Mr. and Mrs. Wilson of Elele community and their two children were accosted and killed on their way from the farm by men suspected to be herdsmen.

Oghuma expressed concern that the criminal activities had instilled fear in the people and adversely affected their socio-economic lives as they no longer go about their lawful engagements for fear of being attacked or kidnapped.

He observed that Section 14 (2) (b) of the constitution provides “that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”.

In his contribution, Rep. Segun Adekola (Ekiti, PDP) hinted that in his community, his people could no longer go to farm for fear of herdsmen’s incessant attacks.

He said: “We were here yesterday (Tuesday) when security chiefs briefed us that the issue of herdsmen has gone beyond what we are thinking; that the runaway herdsmen from North East are going about ravaging the community.

“It is pathetic that our security agents do not know how to manage it and this portends serious danger.

“In my community in Ekiti, my people can no longer go to farms. Soon, there will be food insecurity. I think there is need to re-invite the security agents to do something so that this menace can be nipped in the bud”.

In its resolution, the House mandated the Committee on Army, Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance.

The committee was given four weeks to report back to the House for further legislative action.

Also on Wednesday, the House of Representatives at plenary directed its committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to investigate allegations of infractions in the operations and activities of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and report back within six weeks.

This came on the heels of a Motion moved by Rep. Ahmed Abu on alleged persistent lack of capacity and attendant revenue loss to the nation due to some infractions.

Speaking on the motion, Abu posited that 29 years after its establishment, the NPDC seemingly lacks the capacity to compete favourably in the oil and gas industry and “is reported to be consistently ceding its core activities to third party private entities without due procurement in strategic alliance agreements”.

According to him, these alliances involves the provision of funds by those entities to carry out exploration and production activities on almost all the company’s oil fields, including the lifting of crude on its behalf.

He disclosed that most of these third party entities are newly registered companies with little or no technical experience of financial capability to carry out or meet the terms of those strategic alliance agreements “but are owned by cronies of members of the management of NPDC and other interested parties and are consequently allowed access to funds obtained by NPDC from government appropriation to their benefits”.

“The nation is losing billions of naira daily from the outrageously inflated recurring expenditure on the operations of the NNPC with examples of areas like diesel supply where the management selects preferred suppliers and approves payment for quantities of diesel far more than the actual requirements,” he added.

Also, the House mandated its committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to investigate the Abuja Investment Company Limited (AICL) over non-remittance of N2 billion proceeds to the FCTA by the company.

This was sequel to a motion by Hon. Shehu Aliyu Musa in which he alleged that over N2 billion proceeds from 13 subsidiaries of AICL were diverted by the dissolved management of the company.

The subsidiaries are Abuja property Development Company Ltd (APDC) with 100 percent shareholding, Abuja Urban Mass transport Company Limited (AUMTCO) with 100 percent shareholding, Abuja Market Marketing Limited (AMML) with 95 percent shareholding, Abuja Technology Village Free Zone (ATVFZ) with 51 percent shareholding and Abuja Film Village Ltd with 50 percent and Gas Farm Project with 50 percent shareholding.

Others include Abuja Leasing Company (ALC) with 20 percent shareholding, Power North AICL Equipment Leasing Company with 20 percent, American Hospital with 20 percent and Aso Savings and Loans Plc with 10 percent shareholding.

The rest are Abuja Power Company Ltd with 10 percent shareholding, Capital Hotels (Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja) with 6.51 shareholdings and Abuja Downtown Mall with five percent shareholding.

Leading debate on the motion, Hon. Musa expressed concern that despite the rapid growth of investments, the AICL, which is wholly owned by the FCTA, is not remitting the required revenue to the FCT treasury, adding that the company has over $100 million currently under its management.