N’Assembly berates Buhari over Borno massacre, others

By Tunde Opalana

Worried by the recent beheading of 43 rice farmers in Zabarmari Village near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital and rising cases of violent crime across the country, the National Assembly on Tuesday castigated the Buhari administration over the handling of security issues as it affects the security of lives and properties of Nigerians.

The flaying of the administration was done in both chambers of the National Assembly during the consideration of separate motions on the massacre by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State and the general state of insecurity in the country with the security agencies apparently overwhelmed and helpless to respond adequately.

House of Representatives yesterday summoned President Muhammadu Buhari to appear before it.

The President is to appear before the federal legislators on a date to be announced laters and expected to brief members on the true state of security situation in the country and plans he has to tackle the situation.

In the Senate, senators questioned the legitimacy of the Buhari government to administer the country as it has woefully failed the citizenry in its core mandate of securing lives and property.

This is as the government was asked to immediately commence a transitional disengagement of the military service chiefs who were described of incapable of handling the daunting security challenges in the country.

The Senate came hard on the Buhari Presidency at plenary during deliberation on the motion sponsored by the former Borno State Governor and Senator representing Borno Central, Senator Kashim Shettima on the massacre of innocent farmers in their farmland at the weekend in Borno State.

The motion was entitled: “Beheading of 67 farmers in Borno by Boko Haram insurgents: Need for urgent decision.” In his motion, Senator Kashim said the attacks in farmers was deliberately orchestrated to destroy the economy of the poor people and wonder how the Nigerian military will continue to use same tactics that overtime has not produced any result.

He insisted that President Buhari and the Service Chiefs must take responsibility for the failure which led to the these killings especially as they have the constitutional mandate to secure live and property and ensure the welfare of the people, in the face of which these insecurity situations have continued.

“The Senate further observes that whatever it is that the military is doing and is not working and if the President thinks that the security men are doing their jobs very well, then the logical implication of such assumption is that the President, as the constitutional commander -in -chief of the country has failed in his most rudimentary assignment of securing the country.

“I hope this was not the case and I fervently believed that this is not the case. I believe that the President has good intentions of the nation any heart and is committed.

“We cannot as a nation move forward N’Assembly berates Buhari over Borno massacre, others Over one billion people to access 5G coverage by end 2020 -Report untill the lives of all Nigerians is protected and secured as the primary objective of government is the security and protection of its citizens.

“Protecting the lives and property of citizens is the primary responsibility of government and any government that cannot discharge this obligation looses any iota of legitimacy, the Senate said.

In its resolutions, the Senate reiterated its call for the sacking of the service chiefs for lacking new ideas and solutions to tackling the Boko Haram insurgents, banditry, kidnapping, robbery and killings in the country.

The Senate therefore, resolved to “urge the President to immediately initiate a transitional process of phasing out the currently over stayed security chiefs and replacing them with new ones with new ideas and solutions.

“Urge the President to take immediate steps to restructure remodel removing the entire security architecture and provide enough state of the art weapons and equipment to adequately combat the belligerent power of the insurgent.

“Urge the President to immediately initiate hope by into widespread allegation on corruption and leakages in the security structure and put mechanism in place to foster transparency and ensure all resources meant and deployed on security are actually spent on the needs in ground.

“Impress in the federal government to aggressively explore multilateral and bi lateral forms of partnerships with the neighbouring nations of Chad and Cameroon with the view towards reviving and strengthening the multinational joint task force and find a lasting solution to the cause of the insurgency in the Lake Chad region.

“To impress in the government to as a matter of urgency recruit at least 10,000 civilian JTF versatile with the local terrain in Borno, it’s agro regions under the aegis of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to complement the efforts of the armed forces.

“Direct NEMA and NEDC to provide succour and psychological support to the bereaved families include the ministry of humanitarian Affairs to compensate the families of 67 slained.

“Impress on the federal government to provide proper welfare and security personnel fighting in the front lines and give prime attention to the compensation of fallen soldiers, as that would boost soldiers’ morale and aid their concentration.

Proffering a long term solution to security challenges, the Senate said the federal and state government should adequately address all remote and immediate cause of insecurity in this nation and this must be include comprehensive package for rehabilitation, employment and other social vices.

While Senator, Shetimma pushed for the probing of funding to the Nigerian military, Senator Ahmed Keita said if this matter is not addressed, there may be another massacre and round of mourning in the future.

Keita said a similar situation played out in Katsina where over 38 persons were killed randomly in various communities underscore the need for action as other cases of violent killing in the country.

He added that while he is convinced that the President is doing his best, however where such best efforts do not translate to tangible results of public safety.

“I believe that the President is doing his own best. But his own best is not enough when you cannot see the result in ground, this is what is happening” Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) said the government has agriculture as it’s focus to grow the economy as part of its diversification process and has encouraged farmers to go to their farms.

This he said meant that Nigerians should rely on locally produced food and for these farmers who heeded the presidential counsel, to be so brutally murdered was condemnable just as he condemned the President’s decision to send a delegation to console the family of the deceased as against sending a delegation.

In his contribution to the debate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele Ekiti (Central) said “where a government is deemed to be in breach of section 14:1b of the Constitution let this service chief go, and if Mr. president will not remove them, we call on this service chiefs to in the overriding public interest resign.

President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan in his concluding remarks on the resolutions of the Senate said the National Assembly has a lot of responsibility on this and the death of 67 in Borno should become a turning point to end insecurity in the country.

He said enough of excuses and people who fail to deliver on their mandate especially security that should take centre stage must be shown the way out.

Also, the House of Representatives yesterday resolved to summon Buhari to appear before it to speak to the issue of general insecurity throughout the nation.

The decision of the House followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by 10 members from the north east which sought among others to invite President Buhari to appear on the floor of the House to address members on rising cases of insecurity across the country, especially the North east.

However, trouble started when the mover of the motion on behalf of nine others, Rep. Ahmed Satomi omitted one of the prayers of the motion which sought that the President should be summoned to appear before the House.

One of the sponsors of the motion, Rep. Ahmadu Jaha faulted Rep. Satomi for his action and insisted that that particular prayer of the motion which sought to summon Buhari must be read by the lead sponsor because of the seriousness of the prayer.

He explained that it was necessary to bring in Mr. President to also explain efforts he has made, especially the funds he has approved and the personal and official advice he has proffered for the fight against insurgency as the commander- in-chief of the armed forces.

He particularly observed that the President has often charged the military to take the offensive to the door steps of the insurgents and not playing the defensive role but regretted that there is no sign that the insurgents have been decimated as always claimed by the military.

The House at this stage became rowdy, but sensing that the situation could escalate, SpeakerFemi Gbajabiamila, who presided over the session quickly called for an executive session.

When the House reconvened, the speaker pleaded with members on the implication of asking the President to come openly to parliament and talk about security issues which could jeopardize the strategies already put in place by the military in prosecuting the war against the insurgents.

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As members were about to begin another shouting match, the speaker quickly called on the agitated Rep. Jaha to move for a fresh amendment on the prayer of the motion to reflect that Buhari should be summoned.

A new prayer was therefore, moved in form amendment to the original prayers of the motion and majority of members at plenary unanimously supported through voice votes that the President should be summoned to appear before the House.