Senators Condemn Killing Of Briton, Demand Inter-Agency Task Force To Tackle Banditry

The Senate has condemned the killing of a British national, Faye Mooney, by armed men in Kaduna State.

When the matter came up during Thursday’s plenary, members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly observed a minute’s silence in honour of Mooney and Mr Matthew Oguche who was also killed during the incident.

Some gunmen invaded the Kajuru Castle Resort in Kaduna on Friday last week, killed the two victims and kidnapped three other persons in the process.

Deliberating on the matter, the senators decried the rate of banditry and kidnappings in parts of the country.

They, therefore, resolved to urge the security authorities to intensify the search for the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

The lawmakers urged the Federal Government to set up an inter-agency task force to tackle cases of banditry and kidnapping in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Niger States.

They asked the security agencies to give special security cover to foreign workers and tourists, as well as deploy the use of drones and interceptors in tracking kidnappers asking for ransom.

The senators also urged community leaders, traditional rulers, and all stakeholders to cooperate with security agencies, and urged telecommunications companies to provide them with information in areas where cases of kidnappings were reported.

They further resolved to send a delegation to the British Embassy and condole with the government over the loss.

The lawmakers, thereafter, invited the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) to brief the Senate on the initiative put in place to curb the current security situation in the country.

They also asked the Senate Leader to ensure that the bills they passed on the Police Reform and Trust Fund be sent to their colleagues in the House of Representatives.

According to them, this is to can get concurrence and have the bills forwarded to the President for assent as quick as possible.

Earlier, Senator Shehu Sani raised a motion on the attack while the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, seconded it.

Senator Ekweremadu condoled with the families of the attack victims and called for “a national state of emergency” to enable the government put in place measures to end the security problems in the country.

On his part, Senator Joshua Lidani believes the challenges can only be tackled by “something unusual,” adding that it is already having an effect on investment and tourism.

“We need to mobilise the military to those areas, and we should not be shy of asking for help,” he said.

Senator Babba Kaita also said, “What have we done as Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? We should marshal out a plan from the chambers of this Senate to secure this country.”

In his remarks, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, decried what he described as the “series of killings,” saying the lawmakers must begin to look at the solutions.

On the way forward, he said there was a need to be frontal on what has led the nation to its present state and take the challenge as one for all, irrespective of the political difference.

”Where there is a fault, we must be bold enough to say where the fault is and where there are sanctions that need to be taken, we must be bold as well to say so,” Senate Saraki said.

“I mean, you have all been in this chamber for one year; we could not even communicate, converse or engage with the Nigeria Police.”

He added, “You were all here when the Head of Police refused to even come before us.

“How can we work together to move things forward because, at the end of the day, we must begin to sit down with those in charge and discuss what we need to do, how do we help you?”

The Senate President, who thanked the senators for their contribution on the matter, noted that hard and difficult decisions must be taken and with a more structural approach to the issue of security.


source: Channels TV

source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/04/senators-condemn-killing-of-briton.html