Reps Back Senate, Ask Buhari To Designate Bandits As Terrorists

The House of Representatives, yesterday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to designate bandits, who have dominated the North-West and parts of the North-Central geopolitical zones, and their sponsors as terrorists.
The Senate had made the demand earlier, last Wednesday.
Similarly, the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities has said it will ensure the full implementation of 13% derivation principle in revenue sharing for the oil producing states.
Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, at the plenary, yesterday, moved a motion of urgent public importance to urge the chamber to back the Senate.
It was titled, ‘Declaration of Bandits and their Sponsors as Terrorists.’
The Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, had asked for those who were against the motion but the lawmakers chorused, “No!”
The motion was unanimously adopted through voice vote.
Moving the motion, Benson said, “The Senate, on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, adopted a motion asking President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits ravaging the northern part of the country terrorists and wage a total war on them. They also asked that the president declare all known leaders of bandits wanted and arrest them wherever they were found for speedy prosecution. Such declaration to be done through a Proscription Order can be done pursuant to Section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).
“I will like to echo the same sentiment and ask honourable colleagues to join the Senate in urging Mr President to declare bandits and their sponsors as terrorists. This will underline the determination of government to combat the wave of criminality and murders conducted by bandits all over the country.
“The declaration of bandits as terrorists can be done through a proscription order. That will serve as added impetus for our brave security personnel to redouble their efforts at dealing with this menace. Such declaration when given the force of law will renew the vigour and resolve of our gallant security personnel in dealing with the menace of banditry as the mode of operations and rules of engagement will be scaled up accordingly.”
Benson listed more benefits of declaring the bandits terrorists, noting that such an order will officially bring the activities of bandits and their sponsors within the purview of the Terrorism Prevention Act, while any persons associated with such groups can then be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties specified in the Act.
He said, “Declaration of all bandits as terrorist may also encourage other countries to do same and help create a global consensus around dealing with transnational factors that feeds the domestic activities of such proscribed organisations and individuals.
“As previously observed in this House, no one action can be a silver bullet to solving our insecurity in Nigeria. But a collection of many effective actions and strategies can bring safety. It is in this spirit that I speak today.
“Insecurity in Nigeria requires an all-of-government approach. Hence, I also urge the President to implement the recommendations of the National Security Summit, which took place in June this year and was officially delivered to Mr President in July. All hands have to be on deck to be able to win this battle against insecurity in all its manifestations.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities has said it will ensure the full implementation of 13% derivation principle in revenue sharing for the oil producing states.
Chairman of the House Committee, Hon. Dunamene Deakor, gave the assurance at an interactive and investigative meeting of the committee with the top management staff of the Greenville LNG Ltd on the citing of the oil facilities at the National Assembly, yesterday.
The committee also demanded all the approval documents from the relevant government agencies, the agreement documents and financial statement for the execution of trains 1-3 of Liquefied Natural Gas project by the Greenville LNG Ltd – the owners of the oil facilities.
Speaking at the forum, Dekor also directed the oil company to produce all the approval documents for the execution of the gas project from Department of Petroleum Resources DPR by the Greenfield LNG.
He said, “We requested for some documents and we are calling on the management of Greenville to present them.
“We will ensure the full implementation of the 13% derivation principle in revenue sharing and all other agreements”.
The committee also uncovered 5 out of 17 expatriate quotas given to the company by the Nigeria Immigration Service, querying if it had complied with the directives of the approving authorities.
Responding, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Joseph Oyadoyin, said there were only two lease agreements entered into by the company and its host communities.
He said it was only one out of the three train projects that had been completed by the company, adding that phase 1 of the project was sited on 754 plots of land the company leased.
On the expatriate quota, Oyadoyin said that they had complied with the directives of the approving agency.
He added that the process of land acquisition by the company started in 2015.