By Emmanuel Nduka
Obviously worried by the worsening insecurity in the country, members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives have called on the Nigerian Government to engage the services of mercenaries to supplement the efforts of security agencies in containing the situation.
The lawmakers who made this demand during Wednesday’s plenary, also renewed their call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the security sector.
The legislators also debated on another set of two motions bordering on the recent attacks by bandits and killer-herdsmen in Plateau and Benue States respectively.
The most recent of the attacks had seen gunmen suspected to be bandits invading villages in Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State on Sunday, killing scores of villagers and setting houses ablaze.
Gyanbahu, Kukawa, Karen, and Dungur were said to be the worst-hit communities.
Also in Benue State, authorities confirmed the killing of 23 locals during attacks by killer herdsmen on Mbadwem and Tiortyu communities in Guma and Tiortyu LGAs respectively on Monday night.
During Wednesday’s plenary, lawmaker representing Pakshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, Yusuf Gagdi, and his counterpart from Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency of Benue State, John Dyegh, moved separate motions to draw the attention of the House to the plight of the villagers in their respective constituencies.
In their various contributions, a majority of members noted that cases of killings, now a daily occurrence, had cheapened the lives of Nigerians and would appear that security agencies and the government had lost total control of the situation.
The members blamed President Buhari on whose table they said the bulk stopped and urged him to take more decisive actions against criminal elements in the country.
They suggested that the President should sack the National Security Adviser immediately.
A key prayer, which was unanimously endorsed by the House, was to invoke Section 83 (1) of the 1999 Constitution to provide special funds, through a supplementary budget, to hire mercenaries in order to strengthen the anti-terror war.
The House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, moved the prayer which was unanimously voted for at the session presided over by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Ahmed Wase.
Also, a prayer to declare a state of emergency on insecurity was also unanimously sought by the lawmakers who complained that they were overwhelmed by the daily wailings of their constituents in the affected states.
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