Senate demands new security plans from Buhari, Govs, service chiefs, IG

*Urges FG to review ECOWAS Protocol on transnational free movement

KAMARUDEEN OGUNDELE and TUNDE OPALANA, Abuja

To tackle rising banditry, kidnappings and other insecurity in the country, the Senate has asked President Muhammadu Buhari, the service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police and the National Security Adviser to evolve better security strategy to save the nation from disintegration.

The upper chamber also urged the Federal Government to review the ECOWAS Protocol which allows free movement of persons and goods across borders of West African nations to check trans-borders and illegal immigration.

The Senate arrived at these decisions after debating a motion sponsored by the Senate Deputy Leader, Robert Boroffice (Ondo North).

It urged the Federal Government resuscitate the National Task Force to combat the proliferation of light weapons, small arms and ammunition, as well as to arrest, disarm and punish anyone in illegal possession of arms.

It demanded security agencies to actively deploy drones and helicopters to monitor forests and to discover illegal camps of armed bandits.

It also urged the Federal Government to adequately equip the Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigerian Customs Service to police and monitor borders using technology to check illegal immigrants and smuggling of fire arms and light weapon.

In order to address farmer-herder incessant conflicts, the governors were urged to implement the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) so as to discourage open grazing and allow for increased livestock production.

The NLTP initiative came up when there was an outcry against the proposed controversial RUGA project.

Recall that the National Economic Council (NEC) has approved N100 billion as a take-off fund for the commencement of the NLTP.

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had in September 2019, inaugurated the plan at the Gongoshi Grazing Reserve in Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area of Adamawa.

He said the plan was designed to run from 2019-2028 as part of Federal Government’s initiative in collaboration with states, farmers, pastoralists and private investors.

He said the plan, targeted at supporting the development of livestock sector, was to be implemented in seven pilot states of Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba and Zamfara were chosen as pilot states.

Osinbajo said, “In this plan, the State Government or private investors provide the land, the federal government does not and will not take any land from a state or local government.

“Any participating state will provide the land and its own contribution to the project. The federal government merely supports.

“It is a plan that hopes to birth tailor-made ranches where cattle are bred, and meat and dairy products are produced using modern livestock breeding and dairy methods.

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“This solves the problem of cattle grazing into and destroying farmlands. It ensures a practical response to the pressures on water and pasture by forces of climate change,” the VP added.

Boroffice, while chronicling reports of killings and kidnappings in Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Imo, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, Nasarawa and Kebbi states, said the situation was leading to inter-ethnic and religious conflicts.

Noting that many perpetrators of killings, kidnappings and banditry in Nigeria were illegal immigrants, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain said they were harboured and nourished by Nigerian informants, collaborators and arm suppliers.

The former Director General of Nigerian Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) expressed concerns that many Nigerians had injected ethnic sentiments into insecurity issues, adding that it was capable of plunging the nation into ethno-religious crises of ominous proportions.

Boroffice said, “If the present spate of insecurity across the nation is not curtailed, it will lead to food insecurity and famine as many farmers can no longer access their farmlands.

“The nation is entering a very dangerous phase in its governance trajectory characterised by manufactured conflicts, fueled by ethnic and religious entrepreneurs with divisive rhetorics and amplified by irresponsible social media activists and platforms.

“It is the responsibility of leaders at all levels to address the security challenges of Nigeria, the local actors and authorities should not absolve themselves of responsibility.”

Senator Abdulllahi Adamu (APC Nasarawa) condemned Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state for ordering herders out of Ondo state but his claim was countered by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia).

Abaribe said, “No Nigerian is being sent away from anywhere in the country. It is only criminals that are being given quit notice. Police have said these criminals are foreigners. To solve the problem, criminal elements in the country wherever they may come from must be flushed out. Simple.”

Sen. Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu) kicked against negotiating with criminals. He said “we must rise against the negotiation with bandits. Negotiation is emboldening the criminals.”

Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti) said the federal government approach to the menace of Fulani herders was too lackadaisical.

She said, “We are all in denial on the issue of insecurity. If we are not, we would have declared insecurity a national emergency. if we declare a national emergency, the government would have deployed all resources to fight the menace.

“We are endangered species. People are being killed and kidnapped in their homes. We have spoken severally and nothing has been done.

“We must declare insecurity a national emergency on insecurity as we do for COVID. The death toll from insecurity are more than the figure from coronavirus.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti) called on his colleagues to allow patriotism to guide their utterances.

Noting that the constitution grants rights to people to live anywhere in the country, he said it does not give power to people to trespass on other people’s property.

“It is not the right of anyone to trespass on the land that belongs to any other persons in the country. All the governors must take charge of their states. Criminals must be arrested. Anyone caught trespassing on other people’s property must be prosecuted according to the law,” he said.

Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa (APC, Bauchi) lamented that the criminality of the herders from neighbouring countries had been ranging for many decades with the Nigerian Customs and Nigeria Immigration Service not finding solutions to the porous borders.

Senator Tolulope Odebiyi (APC, Ogun) declared that Nigeria was on the precipice of a failed state, calling on President Buhari to sign an Executive Order banning open grazing.

“There are actions the president can take to end open grazing but nothing is being done. The nation is in great danger and the President has done nothing,” he added.

Senators Olamilekan Adeola Solomon (APC, Lagos), Francis Alimikhena ( PDP Edo), Nicholas Tofowomo (PDP Info and Abdulfatai Buhari (APC Oyo) all called for the establishment and implementation of state police to put an end to the insecurity.

In his remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, asked the Federal Government to provide enough funding for the nation’s security agencies.

He promised that the National Assembly will not be frustrated or discouraged in talking about security issues though it has no power to execute resolutions.