The House of Representatives yesterday called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security in the wake of deadly attacks in Benue and other states.
In a motion by Babatunde Kolawole (Ekiti – PDP) and Benue State caucus of the House led by the member representing Guma/Makurdi Federal Constituency, Dickson Tarkhighir, the House mandated an ad hoc committee to conduct a public hearing to hear from both sides and proffer a lasting solution.
While presenting the motion, Mr. Kolawole said scores of farmers have been killed in attacks, including women and children, a development that has brought a great sense of insecurity and distrust among ethnic groups, thus raising a spectre of instability in the country.
He also listed the possible outcomes of insecurity.
“That incessant attacks on farmers and farming communities will ultimately result in food shortages, artificial scarcity and hampering of the drive of the Federal Government to diversify the nation’s economy through agriculture,” he said.
Also speaking on behalf of the Benue caucus, Mr. Tarkighir called on the federal government to show commitment to the Benue State’s anti open-grazing law by compelling relevant security agencies to comply with the enforcement and implementation of the law.
“The federal government should direct the security agencies to not only secure peace but also bring the culprits to book,” he said.
Earlier during the plenary, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, condemned the killings in Benue and some parts of the country, describing it as “senseless”.
“From the senseless killings in Rivers State, to the killing rampages in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Zamfara, Adamawa, Edo and other States, our dear country is now being painted red with the blood of the innocents on account of unremitting bedlam callously promoted by cold hearted merchants of death,” he said.
He commiserated with the families of the deceased and affected states.
Meanwhile, Dino Melaye, the All Progressives Congress senator for Kogi West, yesterday lamented what he called the slow response by the Federal Government and security agencies to the killings in Benue State.
Mr. Melaye criticised the response by the political and security authorities at the Senate Plenary while speaking on a motion on ‘Security Infrastructure in Nigeria; An Emergency Visit to Benue State’.
“Mr. President, this is the voice of a human witness of Nigeria calling for justice. Mr. President, what happened in Benue State has shown like never before that in this country, we live in perilous times. We live in times where justice is the most scarce commodity in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“What we demand is not a lackadaisical approach from the Federal Government. This issue has been approached with kid gloves. If this happens in the United States of America, the lives of over 70 Americans murdered in cold blood including unborn children and women, will President Trump be comfortable in the White House without paying critical attention to psychologically assuage the pain of the people?
“The Federal Government, the security agencies are extremely lackadaisical about the issue. If we don’t begin to give justice where it is needed in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, be it in Taraba or in Benue, be it in Enugu or Ogbomosho. Justice from North to South, from East to West, if we don’t give justice, we will be inviting a political and insecurity tsunami that we may not be able to curtail,” he said.
Mr. Melaye called on President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Senate to “ring the bell of justice” and demanded that reports from committees set up to investigate the killings be implemented.
“The president must be tough enough to take bold decisions on this matter. .”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday, in Abuja, mandated its Committee on National Security and Intelligence to investigate the alleged missing $44 million from the vault of the National Intelligence Agency.
The committee was also mandated to probe the controversy surrounding the appointment of the new Director-General of the agency, Rufai Abubakar.
The resolution followed the unanimous adoption of a motion under matters of urgent public importance by Hon. Diri Douye.
Moving the motion, Douye expressed concern that the NIA is enmeshed in another scandal barely two days after the new DG assumed office.
He said: “The nation is yet to recover from the shock of the `Ikoyigate Safe House’ scandal involving $43.4 million , N23.2 million naira and 27, 800 pounds, the report of which is yet to be made public.’’
The lawmaker also called for probe into the appointment of Abubakar as the new NIA.
According to Douye, the identity, nationality, citizenship and competence of the new DG, have became subject of public speculation and controversy.
He said: “The controversy surrounding the appointment and the cash scandal paint a poor picture of the country’s national security and diminishes the reputation of the agency.’’
Contributing, Hon. Toby Okechukwu said that the controversy was causing the country monumental embarrassment.
Okechukwu urged the committee to expedite action on the investigation and make its findings public.