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Disenchanted with the endless killings across the country, particularly in Kaduna State, the House of Representatives, last week, called for the removal of the National Security Adviser. PHILIP NYAM reports

Every discerning Nigerian is worried over the spate of killings across the country. For some time now, no day passes without reports of Nigerians being killed in one community or the other either by Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents, bandits, unknown gunmen, ritualists, kidnappers or cultists. It has become a recurrent decimal although the government has always assured Nigerians that the armed forces and security agencies are up to the task.

The negative impact of the killings is fast becoming overwhelming. Whether in the North-East, North-West, North Central, South-East, South-South or South-West, it is indeed a sad era in the history of the nation. Apparently frustrated by the sordid stories of killings, kidnappings and destruction of communities by insurgents and other criminal elements, the House of Representatives upon the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance, last week, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve his National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) of his duties for abysmal performance.

The House equally urged the Federal Government to direct the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to deploy Special Forces to Birnin Gwari and Giwa Federal Constituency of Kaduna State to combat bandits terrorising the people.

The House in an emotion-laden session also urged the Federal Government to set up camps for internally displaced persons and to equally provide relief materials to offer succour to victims of the attacks. The motion These resolutions were consequent upon a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Shehu Balarabe, (APC, Kaduna).

In presenting the motion, the lawmaker expressed concerns over rising activities of Bandits in Birnin Gwari and Giwa communities in the past few weeks. He said that between March 24 and 28, over 117 people were killed, 130 abducted and over 10,463 people displaced, following series of attacks launched by bandits across communities in his constituency.

The lawmaker added that countless cattle were rustled, while houses and other valuables belonging to his constituents were razed during the invasions by the bandits. He called on the Inspector General of Police and the chiefs of Army and Air Staff to mobilise more personnel to the area. Hon. Balarabe further called on the Air Force to be more proactive in responding to attacks by insurgents as its helicopter that is supposed to be for rapid response has never engaged the bandits when called. He also appealed to the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in charge of setting up and equipping Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps to help shelter the displaced citizens, especially as the rain is fast approaching. He further called on the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and other relevant agencies to assist the victims with stipends for survival.

Contributions by members

In supporting the motion, the House Majority Leader, Hon Alhassan Ado-Doguwa (APC, Kano) said: Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in the capacity of the Majority Leader, who of course is the ambassador of government on this floor. You can see how this chamber has been thrown into disquiet over the motion.

When you have a government in place, the major responsibility of that government, especially a democratic one, which was elected by the people is to ensure safety of lives and property of citizens. When things like this continue on daily basis, those of us who are representatives of the government become speechless. We become speechless here to defend actions by the government.

This is an elected government under a popular democracy but we continue day in, day out killings, massacre, armed robbery all over, left, right and centre. This is a report from just one local government out of the 774. The case of Giwa is not just a new case; he (Balarabe) is only giving us the most recent happening. Giwa has been engulfed by killings in the last two, three years.

The House majority leader wondered why Kaduna, which houses key military and defence institutions and infrastructure, had become the epicentre of killings and activities of bandits and terrorists. His words: This is Kaduna where you have the representation of the Nigerian military and other security agencies; the highest you can count in the northern part of the country.

Why should this thing continue to happen? I think government and officials of government and even the security agencies are under democratic authorities. Government in this case has to rise up to its responsibility, call a spade, a spade. If it is about funding, each of us here knows we have never had any cause to contemplate funding our security agencies. I believe our relevant committees are following up in terms of implementation of such funding through our budget and their oversight processes.

Why should things continue this way? We are here for the Nigerian people and we must speak for Nigerian people. We cannot sit down here and fold our arms; the people who elected us are being killed by the day. I think if there is any other thing, I should add to this motion, Mr. Speaker with due respect to our institutions, on account of this institutional failure, regimental failure on the part of our security agencies because you have just no cause to raise excuse. Funding is provided.

Here we are now as an institution, we have now sent an invitation, come and meet with the people of Nigeria, come and interface with us. Lets see how we can put heads together and address some of these perennial problems. At the end of the day, right from head to top; the Inspector General of Police, everyone of them sent a representative. This is a matter that is beyond a mere representative. Every commanding officer of a security agency owes Nigeria a duty to come and honour the call of the parliament.

Im not trying to preempt the actions and the good intentions of the committee set by this honourable House but security agencies have to stand up. With all sense of responsibility, I think Nigerians should at this moment be allowed to also take up arms. Ado-Doguwa expressed grave concern that Nigerians must be allowed to take up arms in defence and their hard-earned property because it is like a monumental failure. If the agencies of security have failed, then Nigerians should not be seen as failures. Let Nigerians organise themselves in the way of civil defence.

Let organise defence for their innocent souls, because, if the responsibility of the government cannot be carried out democratically, then everyone has the cause to defend himself. In his contribution, Hon. Haruna Mshelia (APC, Borno) noted that when things happen for a long time, people tend to forget. I concur with all the previous speakers, particularly our leader who spoke very well, but I want to remind the House that in Borno State, its still simmering. In fact, there is a local government call Guzamala, up till now, there is no a single soul living there.

In my constituency, which is the southern part, three communities were recently attacked, one in Igbohi ward called kilangala, where they attacked and destroyed property, another one on Gudi where the youth leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was killed, and in Geraha in Gida ward, where they displaced people and destroyed their property. Hitting the nail on the head, Hon.Nasiru Ali Ahmed (APC, Kano) said: I will start in sympathizing with all those who lost their lives, kidnapped or injured, in this horrible and tragic incident that happened in Kaduna.

I said it before in this chamber, from 2015 when this government came into power, how many service chiefs have we had, how many IGP have we had? Some have come and gone but only one person has not been changed up till today, and that is the National Security Adviser, what is the job of the National Security Adviser? Do we have a National Security Adviser at all? The agencies that have been mentioned, from the Army to Navy, Air Force, Police, Department of State Services, all of these agencies are accountable to National Security Adviser.

Mr. Speaker, from the interviews that I had of the people, who survived the incident, few days ago, they said, most of these criminals were between the ages the 16 and 18, with guns, Are we safe? We are saying that, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy, Air Force and police, with all the training that they have had, with the international training they have had, that a rag tag army of young boys are more powerful than them? Mr. Speaker, this madness has to stop, it simply has to stop. You travel by road, you are kidnapped; you go by train, you are kidnapped. Last week, the airport was attacked by bandits.

You sit at home you are kidnapped, you send your children to school they are kidnapped. A few weeks ago, somebody was kidnapped in the hospital, so where are you going to stay? You can be kidnapped right in this chamber, Mr. Speaker, what do we tell our people, the people who elected us, do we just fold our hands? I want to use this opportunity again to call for the resignation of the National Security Adviser; he must be removed. The call by Ahmed jolted the Deputy Speaker, Idris Ahmed Wase, who presided over the session, prompting him to appeal for understanding among his colleagues. He interjected, saying: I want to beg the House; let us not be too emotional, a lot of things are wrong. Every Nigerian in terms of the outcry of what is happening at this moment want us to step-up oversight and assignments that hav been given to us.

We should do the work diligently and report back to the House. Also expressing anger, Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos (PDP, Plateau) wondered why the promises made to Nigerians by politicians to tackle insecurity, when they were campaigning, have not been fulfilled. He called for a suspension of releases of appropriated funds to the security agencies until they can properly account for such expended funds. Hon. Ahmadu Usman Jaha (APC, Borno), in his contribution, said: In 2021, we budgeted N460 billion for the Nigerian Army alone, only N29 billion was for capital expenditure, the remaining was for recurrent expenditure.

In 2022, we budgeted N571 billion for the Nigerian Army alone, only N37 billion is capital expenditure, the remaining was for recurrent expenditure. The truth of the matter is that security in Nigeria has become a cash cow business. I am not willing to go without taking my own and he is not willing to go with taking his own and the other person is not willing to leave until when he gets his own.

Its just like a medical doctor putting professionalism aside. You presented a patient and as a patients relative you say every month Ill give you N100 million until the patient recovers or otherwise. The doctor will make sure that the patient does not die as well as continue to ensure that he does not recover because he will keep collecting the money. It is a simple analysis every person can understand. This is a cash cow business, they dont do it to finish because they will realize that everybodys attention was diverted towards the North- East, Okay, let them release North- East to some extent and go to north- West after North-West they move to South-West. Before you realise what is happening, the whole country is gutted with security challenges.

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