Insecurity: Governors, Senators Call On Buhari To Seek Foreign Help As 21 More Nigerians Killed

Following the lingering security situation in the country, most especially killing and kidnapping in the Northeast expanding its territory to the Southeast, some governors and Senators have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to seek foreign help. 

The lawmakers who made the call while debating a motion on activities of Boko Haram in Niger State sponsored by Senator Sani Musa (All Progressives Congress, Niger East), described insecurity in the country as not only terrible but also shameful. 

In the motion, Senator Musa who brought the insecurity in Niger State to the fore at the Senate on Tuesday corroborated the governor’s statement, saying many communities in the state were under the control of Boko Haram.

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He said, “About 42 communities across the two local government areas of Shiroro and Munya have so far fallen under the Boko Haram control, with about 5,000 villagers already displaced in the last three days.

“They have kidnapped many and their wives seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members.

“Three military camps in Allawa, Bassa, and Zagzaga in the two local government areas have been sacked and some security personnel killed by the insurgents in the last one month of renewed attacks.”

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Contributing to the motion, Bima Enagi (APC, Niger North), said Nigerians could not continue to bear the pain of women being raped and forcibly married to Boko Haram terrorists.

Enagi, who said insecurity in the country was terrible, stated, “We cannot continue to allow Boko Haram to hoist flags in Nigerian territories. What is our army doing? What are all security agencies doing?

“It has become so shameful that a great country like Nigeria will be in this type of terrible situation. It seems the Federal Government is handling this insecurity with kid gloves.

"People are dying every day and nothing is being done. No serious, concrete situation on ground to confront these people (insurgents and bandits). I don’t know what else this Senate can do other than an appeal to the government.”

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Meanwhile, the contribution by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele drew murmurs from his colleagues when he said he was not convinced that the President was aware of the security situation in Nigeria.

He suggested that the Senate should, “mandate the leadership of the National Assembly to book an appointment with the Commander-In-Chief on behalf of the 109 senators…because I’m not convinced that Mr. President is aware of everything that’s happening. And if you (Lawan) are meeting with the Commander-in-Chief, all the service chiefs and all the relevant people will be there.”

In a relative vein, the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum; his Niger State counterpart, Sani Bello and Samuel Ortom of Benue State, in separate interviews warned that insecurity in the country was getting out of control.

The governors, therefore, urged the Federal Government to act fast as 21 people were killed across the country on Tuesday.

Zulum, in an interview with the State House correspondents on Monday night, said the President should be told the truth about insecurity in the country.

Ortom, on his own part, decried herdsmen’s attack on the Abegana area of the state where seven persons were killed on Tuesday.

Correspondently, Bello, in an interview on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) said Boko Haram was scaring people away from Niger State communities.