Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja and Gyang Bere, Jos
The House of Representatives has issued President Muhammadu Buhari a 48-hour ultimatum to appear before it to address Nigerians on what his government is doing to tackle the festering wave of insecurity across the country.
The House said failure by the president to explain the issues raised by the House would confirm the opinion of Nigerians that the administration has failed in its responsibility to protect lives and property.
Buhari is expected to make a series of explanations to Nigerians on “his inability and the inability of his administration, since inception, to declare killer herdsmen as terrorists to enable commensurate action against them by the Armed Forces.
“The inability of the of the armed forces under his watch to stop the recurring death of scores of innocent Nigerians annually from systemic attacks by killer herdsmen and alleged bandits, and the gradual occupation of the affected communities by these herdsmen despite countless assurances and statements by him, promising to stop these attacks.”
The House stated that in the address, Buhari should provide “evidence of the complicity of traditional rulers, political detractors and recently foreign miners in the perpetration of incessant killings of Nigerians across the country as constantly being postulated by his administration.
Besides, the Green Chamber wants the president to tell Nigerians the measures he intends to employ as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces put in place to provide the military, as well as the police, with the necessary logistics to confront and dislodge the herdsmen from their known hideouts.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Mark Gbillah on the resurgence of killings across the country by alleged bandits and killer herdsmen.
The House said if President Buhari failed to address the country on the rising spate of insecurity, it would conclude tthat the Federal Government is incapable of proffering a lasting solution to the incessant killings of innocent Nigerians by killer herdsmen and forceful occupation of their lands.
The House also resolved to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to interface with the Presidency, service chiefs, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other relevant stakeholders to explore permanent solutions to killings by herdsmen and suspected bandits.
The Ad-hoc Committee is to determine the complicity of any Nigerian or group in the perpetration of the killings and land grabbing.
The lawmakers said it was disappointing that the response of the armed forces to killings under the present administration has been reactive.
It bemoaned the inability of the armed forces to “progressively” attack the known public locations of the killer herdsmen or establish permanent bases at restive locations.
In his motion, Gbillah had expressed worry at the resurgence of attacks by killer herdsmen and alleged bandits in communities in Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara and other parts of the country, resulting in loss of several lives and displacement of thousands of Nigerians.
The lawmaker argued that “obviously emboldened by the inability of the Nigerian armed forces to curb their activities, these killers have gradually progressed from attacking remote villages at night to sacking whole towns in broad daylight, displacing residents and occupying affected communities.
The House also resolved to constitute an Ad hoc committee to interface with the Presidency regarding the queries, while it would engage with the minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, Chief of Defence Staff and other service chiefs; Chairman and Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, related state governments and relevant stakeholders.
Meanwhile, National President of Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) has urged President Buhari to exert strong political will to halt the killings in Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina and Benue States.
In a press statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Pam Dung Gyang, the group described the killings as babaric and tasked the Federal Government to halt the bloodletting and destruction of lives.
“The entire Berom youths are saddened and upset with the spate of unwanted and indiscriminate killings of innocent lives and the destruction of property, especially the bloodbath in Zamfara, Kaduna,Benue and Katsina States.
“These killings are not just inhuman but very unfortunate, at a time when most developing countries like Rwanda that had similar experiences in the past are constantly in touch with the reality and is poised to sustain the peace in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide.
“Berom Youth Moulders calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to rise up to its constitutional responsibility of defending the lives and properties of citizens and this can only be possible if the fight against criminality is objective. The Government should exert the political will needed to apprehend and prosecute criminal elements whose activities have made peace elusive.
“The association reminds the Federal Government that the continued killings and heightened criminal activities has the potency to retard our development as investors prefer to invest their resources in countries they are assured of maximum security of lives and properties.”
The BYM called on citizens to be law abiding and urged citizens in the rural areas to be vigilant, considering the fact that farming season is approaching.
“Ensure that all suspicious activities and movements are reported to security agencies for prompt action please. Also, avoid divisive comments but rather make good and positive use of the social media so as not to escalate tension in the country.”