The Senate, yesterday, summoned the nation’s service chiefs for explanation over the proliferation of firearms in the country.
According to reports, the upper chamber also mandated its Committee on Intelligence and National Security to conduct thorough investigation into the development to unravel its remote and immediate causes.
The resolutions were sequel to a motion on “Proliferation of Dangerous Firearms in Nigeria’’ moved by Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC-Kaduna) during plenary.
He observed that tribal, communal, religious and other sectarian clashes, including farmers/herdsmen crisis were now more devastating.
“This is due to wrongful and easy acquisition of firearms in violation of due process as laid down by the enabling laws and regulations.
“This ugly trend has contributed to the colossal loss of lives and wanton destruction of property of Nigerian citizens.”
The lawmaker explained that the situation was attributable to the inability of the authorities to control the proliferation of firearms within country.
“The spate of unrest due to proliferation of firearms has negatively impacted on economic and agricultural activities to the extent that due to fear of attacks, law-abiding citizens fear going to the market and farms.”
In his contribution, Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) said the rate and frequency at which people were being killed in the country was evidence that there were more firearms than there were tractors.
“The political class are complicit in the proliferation of firearms in Nigeria,” he said, adding that stakeholders must move fast “to rescue the drift”.
Sani called for a new national political orientation where people should not see politics as a do-or-die affair, but should see it as an opportunity to serve the people.
On his part, the Leader of the Senate, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, observed that “the country is bedevilled by so much insecurity.”
He said that proliferation of illegal firearms was the major reason why there were many killings in the country.
Lawan called on the service chiefs to find a lasting solution to the issue.
In his remarks, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said that the issue of security in the country was the number one concern of all Nigerians.
He decried the spate of killings and the inadequate and poor response by security agencies to address the menace, and called for concerted effort to check the trend.
“People are now going about with weapons as if they are accessories,” he lamented.
In another development, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday, disclosed that a report detailing the circumstances surrounding the April 18 incident when thugs invaded the Senate chamber and made away with the mace was ready for consideration by the Ethics Committee of the Senate.
Speaking while commenting on a point of order raised by Tijjani Kaura (Zamfara-APC), he said, “Distinguished colleagues, you’ll remember that following the incidence of invasion of the senate, one of the decisions that was taken then was that the management must do a report to find out the roles that were played by all the members and what led to the invasion.
“The report has been ready and submitted. I think that report should go to the committee on ethics for them to review it and make their recommendation to us,” the Senate President said.
Kaura had called the attention of the senate to recent killings and kidnappings in his constituency, urging the senate to look into the matter.
Saraki said the appearance of the Inspector-General of Police on Wednesday will suffice to address security issues in Zamfara and other parts of Nigeria.
“Again, it is unfortunate the incident in Zamfara; which is on a daily basis. It is of great concern to us. We at the National Assembly, we must play our role to see what we can do to tackle this insecurity issue. It is unfortunate as we said last time we expected the IG here, we have given him again till Wednesday to come here so that we can truly engage and address these problems we are facing today in the country.
“We saw what happened in Kaduna State some days ago and now it is Zamfara. We will do our best despite the level of lack of cooperation but we must play our role and I can assure you that we would do something to bring a change and make this country more secure,” he said.
Meanwhile, Death toll in the weekend armed bandits’ attack on Gwaska community in Birnin-Gwari Local Government of Kaduna State has hit 58, with more bodies recovered from the town and surrounding environs.
Similarly, former governor of the state and a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has condemned the killings. He warned that the situation could degenerate into a breakdown of law and order should government fail to restore normalcy in the days ahead.
Makarfi lamented what he called the helplessness of the security agencies in taming the security challenges in parts of the country, even as he called for more security men and materials to tackle the menace.
Also, the Emir of Birnin-Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Gwari, who disclosed the latest figure in a chat with PRNigeria commended the local vigilante groups and security agencies in the search and evacuation efforts, adding that more people are still missing.
The traditional ruler also appealed to members of his community to be calm and exercise patience andurged them to be more vigilant and cooperate with the security agencies towards tackling the menace of armed bandits in the area.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government and President Muhammadu Buhari have reacted to the dastardly attacks in Birnin-Gwari axis.
A statement by Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan, said President Buhari had approved the establishment of a permanent battalion of the Nigerian Army in the Birnin Gwari general area. The creation of a Birnin Gwari Police Area Command and two new Divisional Police Headquarters has also been announced by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris.
Makarfi believes that government exists principally to provide security to the people; failure to rise up to this responsibility is, therefore, a recipe for anarchy, which we can ill- afford now. He said: “Governments at all level as well as agencies responsible must therefore, restore people’s confidence by doing all it takes to not only secure the area and others so afflicted, but also ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.
In a related development, the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Dr. Felix Omobude, yesterday bemoaned the spate of violence in the country, adding that Nigeria was “degenerating into a failed state.”
Omobude lamented that the killing of unsuspecting Nigerians by armed herdsmen and other criminals had gone on, such that it had become a daily affair.
The PFN President spoke during an interview with journalists in Benin, the Edo State capital.
He said: “There is hardly any day that you do not hear of bloodshed, killings, either by Boko Haram through suicide bombing, or herdsmen killings across the country.
“The PFN is worried as Nigeria is degenerating into a failed state.
“Whereas we have a government in office, it appears that this situation is overwhelming our security forces.”
The cleric, who is also the founder of the New Covenant Gospel Church, called on government at various levels to ensure the safety and security of Nigerians, irrespective of their tribes or religions.
“We hold the current administration to their campaign promises of change for the better.
We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his government and the ruling party to take a look at the promises made to Nigerians and make every effort to fulfill them,” Omobude added.
The PFN president faulted the claim by President Muhammadu Buhari that those responsible for the killings were not herdsmen but fighters who had infiltrated the country from outside.
He also described the suspected herdsmen responsible for the killings in the country as terrorists.
Omobude said: “We are amazed that our President can announce that in the UK and US and has not said it at home.
“But even if that was the truth, if someone is using my name to perpetrate evil, I should fight it and stop him from doing so.
“So, if these people (herdsmen) are coming from outside, it is the government’s responsibility to check the borders and fish them out. It is not my responsibility. It (government) should do the needful.
“Honestly, whatever language you use to describe their activity, it all points to terrorism.
“People go out and say that they are cattle rearers, only to bring out AK-47 rifles, kill owners of farms, rape their wives and disappear into the thin air. So, it is terrorism.”
The cleric, therefore, called on President Buhari to take urgent steps in addressing the insecurity in the country.
When asked if the President had not done enough to check the state insecurity, the PFN president said, “I will leave that to Nigerians to decide.
“What the PFN is saying is that it is the responsibility of government to safeguard the people. So, if it were enough, we would not have been crying.
“The cry is all over the place, across party lines. When we are dealing with this issue, we should not be thinking about parties.
“We want it stopped; it does not really matter to us which party is ruling. We want good government. We want peace and security for all Nigerians.”
In an another development, President Muhammadu Buhari, Monday, said he was embarrassed by the invasion of the Senate by suspected hoodlums, who made away with the mace, which is the symbol of authority of the upper chambers, adding that proper investigation would be carried out to fish out those behind the invasion.
This came as the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, told President Buhari to call the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mr Ibrahim Idris, to order and compel him to obey the laws of the land.
They also described the arraignment of the Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West, on wheelchair by the police as barbaric and uncivilised, saying it did not give a good image to the nation’s democracy.