The National Assembly, yesterday, unanimously passed a vote of no confidence on the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Armed Forces and all security services for their collective failure to curb the menace of insecurity across the country.
The Senate under the leadership of Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, yesterday, began the process when members passed a vote of no-confidence on the military, police and other security structures in Nigeria, following the high spate of crime witnessed across Nigeria.
It would be recalled that Boko Haram, herdsmen, armed bandits and kidnappers have been running riots in several states of the country, despite the presence of security operatives.
However, the Senate during a debate on the raging insecurity situation in the country unanimously agreed that the security structure in the country has totally collapsed.
The lawmakers lamented that underfunding of security architecture; security chiefs overstaying their tenure, inadequate staff were part of the issues that have contributed to the lack of security in the country.
The Senate Majority Leader, Senator Yahaya Abudullahi, raised the motion titled: “Nigerian Security Challenges: Urgent Need To Restructure, Review And Reorganize The Current Security Architecture.”
The motion was supported by 105 other Senators.
In his lead debate, Abdullahi, called on his colleagues to note the recent upsurge of security related challenges and the devastating loss of lives, limbs and properties that it unleashed on the nation.
He further urged the Senate to note the comprehensive new National Security Strategy (NSS) that the government unfolded in December, 2019, “with its very clear statement of goals, objectives and challenges that faced the nation particularly those challenges whose recent upsurge have a direct and devastating impact on the lives and safety of the people.”
The security challenges, according to him, include: Terrorism and violent extremism, armed banditry, kidnapping, militancy and separatist agitation.
Others are pastoralists/farmer clashes and cattle rustling; organized crime; piracy and sea robbery; and cross border crimes of smuggling and illegal drugs and fire arms trafficking.
He insisted that even though the Senate appreciates the recent effort to redefine the nation’s approaches to the security challenges, the “implementation strategy must be operationalized in a manner that takes a critical and intrusive review of the nature, structure and disposition of the security institutions, particularly the Police, Civil Defence, Intelligence, Customs, Immigration, etc.”
But gravely disturbed by the level of Insecurity in the country, with massive killings and wanton destruction of properties, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, yesterday, asked the President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, resign honourably.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate to kick-start debate on the motion, Abaribe warned that Nigerians are coming with stones to chase out the government since it has failed in all its ramifications to protect lives and property against the backdrop that the government had once asked the people to stone it if it fails to perform.
Abaribe, who spoke immediately after the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, All Progressives Congress (APC), Kebbi North moved the motion.
Contributing to the debate, Abaribe urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to resign from office.
Abaribe said: “We did not vote the IG of police, we did not vote the Chief of Staff, or other security chiefs, we voted the government of APC in 2015 and re-elected them in 2019 because they told us they have the key to security.
“Today, the APC government has failed because people are being killed anyhow. If you want to deal with a matter, you first go to the head. We can go to the APC government and ask this government to resign. “And we want to tell the government that if it does not resign, we shall have no option than to go with stones to pursue it.”
Abaribe also recalled that the APC pledged to be stoned on account of failure upon assumption of office during its electioneering campaigns and, thus, called for ‘stone’ against the party following the realities of insecurity on ground.
Abaribe spoke after the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, presented his motion on rising security challenges in the country.
Abaribe said the attitude of the president to insecurity in the country, surprised him.
He said those who live by propaganda will die by propaganda.
Abaribe said he was building up to the fact that they said Boko Haram have been defeated.
He said the hard work that was supposed to be done to secure the country was not done because of the propaganda.
He said excuses for non-performance is now staring them in the face.
He said Niger and Jos killings by Boko Haram terrorists indicated that the insurgency war was far from over.
He said the opposition members in the National Assembly are of the opinion that Buhari should resign from office.
He said, “Nigerians will go to the government and ask the government to resign because they did not elect the chief of staff, the police IG, service chiefs and others.
“Nigerians voted a government into power. We are going with stones to stone them now because they have failed.”
He insisted that Buhari and the APC had told Nigerians to stone them if they fail and that “it is now time to pick stones to stone them” in view of their obvious failure.
But Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan cut Abaribe short, and called on Abaribe and all those who are going to make contributions to the debate to be apolitical.
Lawan, also appealed to his colleagues to approach the issue with caution.
He said that bandits and Boko Haram insurgents do not operate on partisan grounds when they kill citizens.
When the uproar generated by Abaribe subsided, Senator Abdullahi Adamu said Abaribe’s submissions were unnecessary.
In his words, “I take exemptions to the contribution by the minority leader. Abaribe should be called to order. His call for the use of stone means weapon against the ruling party”.
At this point, the hallowed chamber degenerated into a bedlam.
In his contribution, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege maintained that the security architecture in Nigeria was no longer effective.
Omo-Agege decried that the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, was over-stretched, hence can’t curb the insecurity challenges facing the country.
“The security architecture of Nigeria is over-stretched and is no longer effective. Talking about NPF we were told the current strength of the police about 300, 000 to police about 200million people.
“With this number, there is no way they can do this job combating insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.
However, the senators also protested when the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, vehemently opposed creation of state police on account of paucity of funds crippling the states and possible abuse by the state governors.
Also speaking, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun Central Senatorial District said the police should not be castigated, stressing that community policing was part of the solution to tackling insecurity in Nigeria.
Amosun said: “Where we find ourselves, it would be unfair to castigate the police and other security, the best thing to do is to allow every state to have their police but we will still have a federal police.
“I know there are fears that governors will misuse the opportunity but what we stand to gain if governors are in control of security is far better, we need to have our state police to be in place.
“Our porous borders are making it easy for our country to be infiltrated. We need technology like trackers. All states should have their police and still maintain that of the federation.”
Another Senator said the police was overwhelmed due to the over-personalization of security personnel.
“Why is the police overwhelmed? This is due to the failure of the political and business class to assist the government in using the police the best way we should. We know they are 300, 000 in numbers yet everybody want to personalise police. Until we communalize police we will not have want we want. Civil Defense should take that role and allow police to do their rightful duty,” he said.
Also contributing to the debate the motion “Nigerian Security Challenges”, yesterday in Abuja, Senator Betty Apiafi (Rivers West) called for the sack of security chiefs because they have overstayed their tenure.
The lawmaker insisted that “all the security chiefs are occupying offices illegally.”
“The tenure of the security chiefs expired a long time ago; they are illegally occupying that seat. Government should bring in new people to add strength to the security issues. We should stop personalizing police and ensure that more recruitment into the police force,” she said.
She noted that security challenge was at its highest peak because the nation’s head of security have run out of ideas, adding that government ought to have injected fresh people.
According to her, they have done their best and should be discharged from office immediately.
Apiafi’s position was at the instance of overwhelming insecurity in the nation that precipitated a heated debate on the floor of Red Chambers.
“Mr President, distinguished colleagues, security chiefs tenure have long ago expired.
“They are occupying offices illegally and they should be sack, particularly that they have done their best and have ran out of ideas”, the female lawmaker insisted.
Moreso, Senator Matthew Urhoghide representing Edo South Senatorial district blamed killings to the infiltration of foreigners.
He said: “criminals from “Niger, Chad, comes into the country through porous borders”, to perpetuate crimes with reckless abandon.
Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, let the truth be told, no Fulani will invade another Fulani community to kill in the manner they are doing. “
“If you look at the way, they kill; you will know that those are foreigners and not locals. So we must do something about our porous borders”, Uroghide maintained.
Meanwhile, the senators expressed divided views over the creation of state police in Nigeria during the Senate plenary, yesterday.
While some of the senators backed the creation of state police, others faulted the idea.
Among those that supported the creation of state police are Senators Ibikunle Amosun and Oluremi Tinubu.
The positions of the senators were contained in a series of tweets by the Nigerian Senate.
Senator Ibikunle Amosun said, “Each and every state should be allowed to have their own police. We can have federal police as well as we have state police. What we stand to benefit by having governors to be in charge of their security is far more.”
“The issue of security cannot be taken in isolation. I support the need to consider a security architecture that is homegrown,” Senator Tolu Odebiyi added.
On her part, Senator Oluremi Tinubu noted that “If we really want to tackle our insecurity correctly, we should look at state police. I believe in you – Senate President – to do it this time.
“I have seen what insecurity has meted out to Nigerians and the vulnerable group in particular-women and children. State policing: if we want to go there, we should allow states that are ready.”
However, Senator Danjuma Goje disagreed with the establishment of state police.
“I am against state police because it is going to create more problems. The issue of unemployment in this country must be tackled,” Senator Danjuma Goje added
“There is no coordination among security agencies in Nigeria. The NSA advises the President on security and should be able to coordinate the security agencies,” Senator Matthew Urhoghide said.
Senator Yusuf Yusuf said, “The business and political class uses police. We must agree that we should not personalize the use of police. Until we define the uses of police, we will continue to have this problem.”
“We should amend the constitution and stand by state police. We should go back to God as a country and say we are sorry. We should confess our sins and ask God to forgive us and help us. Let us review our security infrastructure to determine if it is competent enough,” Senator George Sekibo noted.
“On the issue of state police, our constitution places security on the exclusive list. In this position, we have to amend the various sections of the constitution. If we do not do that, we are putting the cart before the horse.
“It is true that Nigerian Police is overwhelmed so we need to recruit close to about one million officers. This is the way out. The solution now is to pass the police reform bill so funds can be made available for policing of this country,” Senator Adamu Aliero said.
“The security architecture is overstretched and not as effective as it is. I think there is a consensus, we should be looking into the direction of community policing in Nigeria but we are not so sure of what the structure and component will be like,” Senator Ovie Omo-Agege said.
“If we do not approach this debate with a level of responsibility that it demands we shall be doing more harm than good to this issue of national security,” Senator Abdullahi Adamu added.
On his part, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said, “The hard work that was supposed to be done in Nigeria is not done. We will ask this government to resign because it can no longer do anything in the country.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, yesterday, unanimously asked service chief in the country to immediately resign their position as they have outlived their usefulness the nation.
The House said the service chiefs have not been able to address the security challenges confronting the country since 2015 when they were appointed by the President, adding that they have adopted same strategies that have not yielded any positive result.
Arising from a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon, Mohammed Tahir Mongunu and 14 others, the House asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the service chiefs if they failed to resign their position
In the motion titled “Need to Curb the Incessant Attacks of the Boko Haram Insurgents in the North-East Zone”, Mongunu expressed concern about the recent upsurge in attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East zone, recalling that activities of the insurgents were reduced to the barest minimum resulting in improved security in Borno and Yobe states.
Moving the motion earlier, Monguno said that territorial integrity of Nigeria was being threatened following the resurgence of insurgency in the North-East.
Mongonu who represents Monguno/Marte/Nganzai Federal Constituency of Borno said that the attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East zone have lingered for more than seven years.
He said that successes recorded by the security agents led to increased economic activities within the North-East zone, adding that regrettably, the insurgents who were relegated to the background are now unleashing terror in Borno and Yobe states.
He said “recently, the insurgents have forced the Nigerian Military to close traffic on the Damaturu-Maiduguri Road for some days. The Damaturu-Maiduguri Road is the only access from Maiduguri to other parts of Nigeria”.
He recalled that when President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015, the activities of insurgents were reduced to the barest minimum.