Senate President, Ahmad Lawan said on Wednesday, that the ugly criminal trend of kidnapping is rampant in the country and security agencies are not giving their best to curb it.
This is coming just as the Senate has resolved to enact anti-kidnapping legislation to eradicate the menace of the criminal act.
By this law, it is expected that when finally enacted, the death sentence will be the penalty for kidnappers and their activities.
Lawan said the Senate needs to urgently go back to the report of the ad-hoc committee on review of the security architecture that was constituted by the 8th Senate.
In plenary on Wednesday, Senators took turns to condemn the rising wave of kidnapping across the country.
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This was a sequel to a motion of urgent national importance, moved by Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) on the activities of kidnappers on Abuja-Lokoja-Okene road.
Melaye while leading the debate informed the Senate that on September 18, 2019, eleven persons were kidnapped and eight others killed including a police ASP.
He said, “security agencies are not patrolling on the roads and that Senate should urgently rise against the situation.”
In his remarks, Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe faulted the emerging trend where security agencies negotiate with kidnappers instead of flushing them.
According to Abaribe, the federal government must quickly wade into the matter and ensure that security agencies refrain from being complicit.
For Senator Danjuma Goje, unless security agencies employ technology methods before kidnapping and other criminal activities would be eradicated.
Consequently, the Senate has asked the relevant security agencies to immediately begin patrol on the Abuja-Loko-Okene road.
Also, it urged the Inspector General of police to intensify efforts on the security of lives and property of Nigerians.
However, Ahmad Lawan said even though security agencies are not doing enough, they need to be adequately funded to improve in securing lives and property.
According to Lawan, the funding will be evolved through the 2020 budget but insisted that security agencies must be held accountable to be transparent in all their activities.
Also, Lawan said it is high time security agencies employ technological use of drones and track GSM lines being used by kidnappers.
“The Senate needs to go back to the report of the ad-hoc committee on the review of security architecture which was set up by the 8th Senate because we are not getting the best out of security agencies.
“The senate committees on relevant security agencies and communication must quickly take up the matter. We need to be more radical, we need to give security agencies more funds but we must insist they are accountable and transparent.
“The time has come for security agencies to go technological and to employ drones, and this can be used and security will be adequately enhanced,” Lawan stated.
