Insecurity: Sack security chiefs, declare national emergency, senators tell Buhari

.Senate sets up 17 member ad – hoc c’ttee to interface with NSA, others, summons IGP

.As Abaribe calls for Buhari’s resignation

As issues surrounding the damning security situations in the country took center stage at the Senate plenary on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari was asked to fire his service chiefs if he is desirous of changing the current narrative.

The service chiefs recommended for sack are Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, Chief of Army Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff and Admiral Etuk Ibok Ibas, Chief of Naval Staff, who were all appointed in July 2015.

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The Senate, as well, urged President Buhari as the Commander -in – Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces to declare a national security emergency.

It also summoned the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to appear before the Senate at plenary next Wednesday to brief the legislators on the workability of community policing.

The red chamber went ahead to constitute a 17 member ad – hoc committee to engage the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) and all other security agencies on the implementation modalities of the December 2019 National Security Strategies.

The committee headed by Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, has as its members senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Ali Ndume, Aliyu Wamakko, Kazim Shettima, Ibn Bala N’Allah, George Sekibo, Ibrahim Gobir, Kabiru Gaya, Geshom Bassey, Ibikunle Amosu, Abba Moro, Stella Oduah and Yusuf Yusuf.

The committee was given two weeks to engage the service chiefs and national security institutions to discuss their operational structure, funding, equipment and staff disposition with a view to reviewing the national security architecture to make it more responsive in tackling the myriad of security challenges facing the nation.

This was a the Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, asked  President Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) to resign, haven failed Nigerians in the primary responsibility of protecting lives and properties.

These resolutions were consequent upon the debate on a motion on ‘Nigerian Security Challenges: Urgent need to restructure, review and reorganise the current security architecture’, sponsored by the Majority Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and 105 other senators.

The lawmakers noted with concern, the recent upsurge of security related challenges and the devastating loss of lives, limbs and properties that it unleashed on the nation.

The Senate identified terrorism and violent extremism, armed banditry, kidnapping, militancy and separatist agitations, pastoralist/farmer clashes, cattle rustling, cross border crimes of smuggling of illegal firearms as prominent security challenges that the nation contends with.

Notably among the senators that called for replacement of the service chiefs include Solomon Adeola (Lagos West), Mathew Urhoghide (Edo South), Betty Apiafi (River West), Sani Musa (Niger East), Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), Gabriel Suswam (Benue North East), Abba Moro (Benue South), Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South), Binos Yaroe (Adamawa South), Rochas Okorocha (Imo West) and Elisha Ishiaku Abbo (Adamawa North).

After Senator Apiafi opened the floor, all others argued that the current service chief are bereft of fresh ideas to tackle and surmount insecurity.

Senator Elisha Ishaku Abbo said: “The security chiefs have done their best but it is obvious that they have run out of ideas. They have been in office for four years and six months.

“There is grumbling in the military. It is suprising that the Nigerian military has received about N4.5 trillion between 2012 and 2019. This is not about funding but how the military have utilised funds released to them”.

Asking President Buhari to rejig the current security apparatus, he said “new security chiefs with fresh ideas should be appointed to come to our aid’.

Rochas Okorocha while calling for overhauling of the security chiefs said “let us sack the sackables and retain the retainables”.

Binos Yaroe said “the war against insurgency has not been won because the current service chiefs have overstayed in office”.

Solomon Adeola said “it is time for the service chiefs to go, they have done well”.

However, there was mixed reaction over adoption of community policing with majority supporting it.

Supporting alternative policing were Senators Oluremi Tinubu, Ibikunle Amosu, Solomon Adeola, Emmanuel Bwacha, Smart Adeyemi and Opeyemi Bamidele.

Leading the pack of those that opposed state or community policing was the deputy senate president, Ovie Omo – Agege, who vehemently opposed community policing.

Others were Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yusuf Yusuf (Taraba Central) and Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central).