Senate urges FG, Rivers to tackle insecurity in state
By Tunde Opalana, Abuja
The Senate has urged the federal government and Rivers state governments to tame the rising cases of heinous killings in the state by working together in developing workable strategies to tackle the menace
The resolution followed the adoption of the motion sponsored by Senator Andrew Uchendu (APC/Rivers East) titled: “Frightening killings in Rivers state” at plenary on Wednesday.
The senator painted a scenario of horrendous beheading of people and eventual burning of their corpses by killers that have pervaded nooks and crannies of Rivers state.
He insisted that the spate of killings in the state has been under- reported in the media while he claimed that people are being killed in the state on daily basis.
Presenting the motion, an emotional Sen. Uchendu said the killing of innocent citizens as a result of murder, kidnapping, violence or abduction had been happening unabated in Rivers state for more than a decade.
He lamented that the killings assumed a dangerous proportion before, during and after the 2015 general elections in which over 200 youth were killed and expressed worry over the trend of decapitation and dismembering of body parts, including the beheading of victims.
“There is a new twist that has been added to this sacrilegious conduct by not only killing by beheading, but also by having the corpses burnt.
“At about 9.00 p.m on May 19, unknown gunmen invaded Isiodu Community in Emohua Local Government Area and killed three young men aged between 23 and 30 and unashamedly burnt the corpses. It is worrisome that these killings spread across the length and breadth of state.
“During the last interaction between the Senate and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, I stated emphatically that kidnappings and killings have become a way of life in Rivers state,” the senator added.
In his remarks, Senate President Bukola Saraki called for a holistic approach towards solving the problem, expressing concerns that the level of insecurity in the country has taken a worrisome dimension.
