The House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian police and other security agencies to liaise with local vigilante and the likes to embark on a holistic combing of forests in all part of Nigeria.
This will forestall the hibernation and continued presence of bandits and herdsmen in their hideouts.
This was as the House adopted a Motion On “Urgent Public Importance On The Need For The Nigerian Police And Other Security Agencies To Liaise With Local Vigilante And The Likes To Embark On A Holistic Combing Of Forests In All Part Of Nigeria To Forestall The Hibernation And Continued Presence Of Bandits And Herdsmen In Their Hideout”, moved by Mr. Billy Osawaru.
Mr. Billy Osawaru, said that “Sections 14 (1) and (2b) as well as 17 (2b & c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) states clearly that one of the fundamental objectives of government is to provide security and welfare to its citizens”.
He also noted that Nigeria has over time been faced with the scourge of insecurity, including terrorism, banditry and militia activities leading to unfortunate killings, kidnapping, abductions, armed robbery, cattle rustling, unknown gunmen, vandalism of critical national infrastructure, which seem to have defied several strategies designed to tackle and mitigate it.
Informed that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its reports titled “The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024,” revealed that Nigerians paid a total of N2.23tn as ransom across Nigeria between May 2023 and April 2024 and also, recorded approximately 51.89 million crime incidents across Nigerian households in the period under review.
“Further informed that the Amotekun Corps has mobilised over 2,000 personnel to flush out bandits and other criminals operating in forests in the South-West region, and there was need for a holistic approach to extend this action to the neighboring forests of South-South region. This would prevent them from using it as escape route or new found home;
“Aware that this ugly trend of insecurity is detrimental to the growth, development and future of the nation as panic and tension continually mount on the citizens regarding their safety, while investor’s confidence are reduced, farm lands were abandoned resulting to decrease in food production, scarcity, hunger and inflation as well as displacement of large population;
“Concerned that the continued presence of banditry, kidnapping, and other form of insecurity in Nigeria underscore a clear deficiency in our country’s security architecture thereby necessitating a critical need to reassess, reevaluate and reinvent the nation’s response and tactics for combatting these unconscionable security breaches.
“Worried that if wilful and productive actions are not deployed to ascertain, review, develop and strengthen comprehensive strategies to curbing this unprecedented wave of security crises, then its scope will continue to widen, perhaps to areas where there has been relatively peaceful, wreaking havoc and hampering economic activities thereby inflicting untold hardship and hunger on the citizens and this does not portend well for the future of the nation,” the motion said.
The House resolves to mandate the House Committees on Police Institutions, Army, Interior and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance and report to the House within four weeks for further legislative actions.
Confidence Okwuchi
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