Lawmakers at the Senate
Senate has called on the Federal Government to immediately suspend the rehabilitation and reintegration programme for former Boko Haram members, while urging security agencies to intensify efforts to arrest and prosecute terrorists and other violent criminals responsible for attacks across the country.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua during Tuesday’s plenary over what he described as the growing wave of attacks, kidnappings and killings targeting serving and retired military personnel, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s security and state authority.
Lawmakers also directed Senate committees overseeing security matters to strengthen their oversight of security agencies and ensure that the nation’s security chiefs remain fully accountable for tackling the worsening insecurity.
The upper chamber further resolved that a delegation led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio should meet with President Bola Tinubu to discuss the country’s deteriorating security situation and possible solutions.
While presenting the motion, Senator Yar’Adua listed several attacks involving military officers, including the abduction of retired Colonel Rabiu Garba Yandoto, the killing of retired Major General Richard Chukwudi Duru, the murder of retired Brigadier General Uwem Udokwere, and the kidnapping of former NYSC Director-General Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (retd).
He also recalled the abduction and death of retired Major Joe Ajayi, the rescue of retired Colonel Joseph Ajanaku, and the killing in captivity of former Director of Defence Information, Major General Rabe Abubakar (retd), describing the incidents as evidence of Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
According to the senator, the killing of retired Major General Abubakar and other victims in captivity represents “a painful national loss and underscores the persistent insecurity confronting the country.”
The Senate concluded by urging the Federal Government to halt the rehabilitation of terrorists, ensure those behind violent crimes are arrested and prosecuted, and strengthen the nation’s security response through improved oversight and closer engagement with the Presidency.
