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Worried by the spate of insecurity across the country, senators on Tuesday charged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately dismiss heads of security agencies and service chiefs.
At a debate on the renewed killings by herdsmen and criminal militia groups, the lawmakers submitted that because Nigerians were increasingly becoming disappointed and frustrated over government’s failings and inactions on the spate of insecurity, democracy has become endangered.
The Senate after adopting the motion sponsored by Suleiman Adokwe (PDP, Nasarawa State), equally asked the President to seek immediate help from the international community in curbing security problems in Nigeria.
He expressed shock that despite the existence of an army base close to where the carnage took place, there was no single shot fired by the army.
“Through out the weekend and up to the moment that I am speaking, herdsmen have unleashed terrorism and mayhem on the people of my senatorial district, leaving many dead bodies, numerous wounded persons and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons. The victims are largely the Tiv speaking ethnic nationalities with a reported dead toll of 32 persons and we are still counting.
“The real tragedy is not in the well coordinated and simultaneous carnage across Awe, Obi, Keana and Doma local government areas of Southern senatorial district but the tragedy lies from the fact that for four days running, this mayhem continues unhindered, unchecked, unstopped by any arm of the law and security enforcement agencies,” he said.
In his contribution, Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos State) advocated that there was need to inject fresh ideas into how the security problems in the country can be remedied.
Adeola noted that there is no where that is safe in Nigeria with the daily killings that the nation is confronted with.
“The security situation has not improved and what the president need at this time is fresh ideas on how to tackle numerous security challenges confronting the nation” the senator stated.
He argued that the only way to get fresh ideas for the President to address the security challenges is to remove the incumbent service chiefs to give room for those with fresh ideas, stressing that the nation should do away with unproductive tenure elongation in areas where fresh ideas are needed.
He said: “We know the way the military organisations operate. Those with fresh ideas dare not come out against their superiors or else they risk premature retirement from service. So the current service chiefs should go to allow officers with fresh ideas to address our alarming security issues”.
Also speaking, Jeremiah Useni (PDP, Plateau State), identified the constant clashes among security agencies as part of the security problems.
He was of the opinion that heads of such agencies be removed to pave way for more harmonious relationship among security agencies.
Deputy President of Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, also supported the calls by some lawmakers on the need for Nigeria to seek external help to end the crises.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
