Representatives call service chiefs, NSA, DS bosses over growing insecurity

The House of Representatives has summoned service chiefs and National Security Advisor (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu to appear before lawmakers over the increasing incidents of insecurity in the country.

Lawmakers passed the resolution on Tuesday in a plenary session following the adoption of a motion of urgent public interest sponsored by Sulaiman Gumi, a lawmaker representing Gummi/Bukkuyum federal constituency in Zamfara state.

The legislators also summoned Adeola Ajayi, director general of the Department of State Services (DSS); Taiwo Oyedele, finance minister; and Christopher Musa, defense minister.

Oyedele is expected to brief lawmakers on the funds released to procure military equipment needed to address the country’s security challenges.

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The DPR asked the security chief to appear before the plenary session on Wednesday, with discussions to be held in closed session.

Gumi lamented that insecurity in Zamfara and the wider northwest region has escalated into a complex humanitarian crisis driven by armed banditry, kidnapping and infiltration of transnational jihadist groups.

He noted that between June 1 and 6, bandits on motorbikes attacked communities in the Gummi/Bukkuyum federal constituency, killing 95 people.

The lawmaker cited the kidnapping of seven students of Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, from their off-campus hostel on the evening of June 2 and early morning of June 3.

According to him, two senior lecturers at the institution had previously been kidnapped and held for more than two months despite paying ransom.

The Zamfara lawmaker said the wave of attacks had spread to other northwestern states, including Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi and Jigawa.

Gumi warned that uncontrolled movement of bandits across the state could undermine national security and could destroy the lives and socio-economic fortunes of the entire north-western region if immediate action was not taken.

The motion was approved unanimously when Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker of the House, voted.