Senate orders IGP to arrest, prosecute killer herdsmen nationwide

The Senate on Wednesday took a hard stance against killer herdsmen in Nigeria as it ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to urgently set machinery in motion for arrest of the killers of Mr. Solomon Ejoh and all armed killers masquerading as herdsmen in communities, forests, and farms in Delta Central and across the country in general.

The Senate insisted that herdsmen who allegedly killed Ejoh must be brought to justice, as it constituted an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate cases of killings by herdsmen noted to be involved in mindless killing of innocent souls nationwide.

The Upper Chamber took the resolutions following a motion raised under Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rule and matter of urgent public national importance by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC Delta Central).

The motion is titled, “Need for urgent National Security intervention to stop the gruesome killing of Urhobos and other Nigerians in Delta Central Senatorial District and other parts of the nation by terrorist elements masquerading as herdsmen in rural communities, forests and farms”.

Omo-Agege condemned the killings by alleged Fulani herdsmen, stressing that it was high time the rest of Nigeria rise to the occasion to stop the menace constituted by herdsmen who specialised in killing innocent people.

He said the “Senate notes that historically, rural dwellers in Urhoboland and other parts of this country have always lived in peace and harmony with themselves and citizens from other parts of this beautiful country, including traditional herdsmen who are never armed with sophisticated war weapons and who go about their herding activities peacefully”.

He said lamented that most recently, the Urhobos and indeed other Nigerians, are being gruesomely and extra-judicially killed in rural communities, forests, and farms by terrorists and hardened criminals armed with sophisticated weapons and who masquerade as herdsmen.

He, however, condemned what he described as “The recent brutal killing of a young, vibrant, and popular youth leader, Solomon Ejoh, by terrorist elements/hardened criminals operating under the cover of herdsmen in Ovre-Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government of Delta State”.

He said the Senate was “disturbed that there is a mismatch between the consistent oral assurances by our national security agencies, more particularly the Nigerian Police Force, of their capacity and readiness to deal decisively with and arrest internal national security threats, notably the brazen killing of our people by terrorist herdsmen”.

Senator Omo-Agege in the motion averred, “the Senate cannot watch idly where national security agencies fail to protect the lives and property of our citizens as enunciated in and mandated by our Constitution and laws enacted by the National Assembly”.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the Wednesday’s plenary, said that Senate as an institution condemns in totality the act of killings and waste of lives and property, adding that governments at all levels and security agencies must wake up to their responsibilities to nip the problem in the bud.