Reps ask governors to stop negotiating with bandits, summon service chiefs

The house of representatives has again summoned the nation’s service chiefs over the rising insecurity across the country.

At Thursday’s plenary session, the lawmakers also kicked against negotiations with bandits by some governors in the north.

While debating a motion introduced by Sada Soli from Katsina state, they said the service chiefs must brief them on efforts to address Nigeria’s security challenges.

Soli said the incessant killings in the north-central and north-east have made it impossible for residents who are mostly farmers to work.

He suggested the creating of palliatives in the form of cash for internally displaced persons (IDPs), but some of his colleagues disagreed with him.

Toby Okechukwu from Enugu state said Nigeria’s priority should be returning IDPs to their homes rather than paying them.

“What is happening to the security architecture of this country? Our situation is in jeopardy and we are under threat,” Okechukwu said.

“Kazaure pointed out that how can the governor of a state be negotiating with bandits with AK47 on their neck? This is a situation of a failed state. How can the district head in Katsina be slaughtered.

“How can we talk about taking money to IDP camps instead of fighting against this nonsense? How can we be preferring sharing money for whatever palliatives for IDP camps instead of getting our people back to their places.”

Ahmadu Abdullahi from Sokoto state accused the executive of failing to act on “precious resolutions” reached by the lawmakers.

He urged the house leadership to meet with the executive to find a lasting solution to insecurity.

“We have to tell ourselves the truth and nothing but the truth. Our duty is to legislate and for the executive to act,” he said.

“It is in this chamber that on several occasions, this issue has been raised and a vote of no confidence passed against these service chiefs as a result of insecurity, but nothing was done.

“We have been calling for the resignation and dismissal of the service chiefs by the executive but these have been falling on deaf ears.

“If you can recall, in Niger Republic when about 70 soldiers were slaughtered, the chief of army staff in Niger Republic was dismissed and since then, we have not had any issue that has to do with killings.“

He said the executive “must listen to us” if Nigeria will make any headway in ending the incessant killings.