The Senate, Thursday, summoned the acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu, for a briefing concerning the seemly unrelenting rate of banditry and kidnappings across the country.
It also said the invitation would be an interactive session for planning jointly a strategy that would help to curb the growing menace.
This development was sequel to an adopted motion titled, “Senseless Killing of a Briton and the Abduction of three others in a Resort in Kaduna by Armed Bandits”, sponsored by Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna Central with many other senators as co-sponsors.
DAILY POST recalls that the Briton, Faye Mooney, an aid worker, was killed by kidnappers in Kajuru Castle, a recreation centre location in Kaduna State last week.
She was also kidnapped and killed with Matthew Ogwuche, a Nigerian training assistant with the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), with three others abducted.
In his lead debate, Sani said attacks on individuals, houses, and villages have become too many and that not even one suspect has ever been prosecuted for the crime.
The lawmaker was worried that the bandits tend to be gaining more courage to perpetuate their acts “due to their acclaimed superior firepower.”
Contributing, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu said the unfortunate incident was not happening for the first time where a non-Nigerian (especially construction/aid workers) was kidnapped in the country.
Ekweremadu said if nothing is done, Nigeria will continue to be profiled as a terrorist state abroad.
In his words, “This nation’s security has been breached. Tourists who have plans of coming to Nigeria will now think twice before coming. And this is affecting our economy.
“It is important to take this issue seriously in order to protect our national image. Even if it means declaring a state of emergency in affected states, so be it,” Ekweremadu said.
It was in the course of the debate that Ekweremadu suggested and it was approved that the IGP be invited for a briefing.
He said “Mr President, since we now have a new IGP – as the other one was uninterested in talking to us, let us invite him to give a holistic view of the state of kidnapping across the country with a view to finding a lasting solution.”
The upper chamber also resolved to urge security agencies to immediately deploy the use of drones and interceptors in tracking kidnappers and combating other forms of criminality.
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