Reps: Neighbouring countries fuelling insecurity in Nigeria

The house of representatives has accused neighbouring countries of fuelling insecurity in Nigeria.

The lower legislative chamber made the allegation after its relevant committees met with the security chiefs to discuss Nigeria’s worsening security situation in Abuja on Wednesday.

Briefing journalists after the closed-door session, Babajimi Benson, chairman, house committee on defence, said there “could be some truth” in allegations that neighbouring countries are complicit in Nigeria’s security challenges.

Asked if it was true that some neighbouring countries are fuelling insecurity in Nigeria, he said: “Yes … that is part of the things we discussed. There could be some truths in that.”

Benson said the meeting — held a week after the lawmakers asked the service chiefs to resign — went “very well” as the committees got “first-hand information on what is going on and what the issues are”.

“We were to a large extent satisfied with what they said. Like I said, we are also going to table what they said before parliament,” he added.

“Military issues are not things we should discuss in public but they raised a lot of issues that we must all sit down as Nigerians and discuss. One of them is that, there is probably an international dimension to what we see. There is ISIS, there is ISWAP. These are things that we need to discuss in a very classified manner.

“But what we want Nigerians to know is that we are committed to them 100 percent, to see that we assist the military and the armed forces and ensuring that this matter is put to an end within the shortest possible time.”

On the resolution of the house that the service chiefs should resign or be sacked, the lawmaker said that would be left for President Muhammadu Buhari to decide on.

“Sacking the service chiefs is … we can suggest but it is a function of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces; the buck stops at his table,” he said.

“It is not a u-turn but the most important thing that Nigerians want is the security of their lives and for their properties to be protected. That is the meeting we are having today.”

A report by Conflict Armament Research said the weapons used in the conflicts between farmers and herders in the country were smuggled into Nigeria from neighbouring countries such as Niger Republic.