The Senate on Tuesday reviewed the security challenges bedevilling most parts of the country with senators declaring that the situation is beyond the grip of the Federal Government.
This comes as the upper legislative chamber has disclosed that it would hold another security summit, 17 months after the Eighth Senate conducted one.
It also called on the Inspector-General of Police to fish out the killers of Funke Olakurin, daughter of the leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.
Olakunrin was murdered along the Benin-Ore Road last Friday by unidentified gunmen.
Lawmakers also tasked the Chief of Army Staff to immediately commence patrol of major highways in the country, even as they condemned the gruesome murder of Olakurin and commiserated with the family of the nonagenerian over the incident.
This followed a motion moved by Ayo Akinyelure (PDP, Ondo) on the floor of the chamber on Tuesday.
The position of senators has reechoed the fears of Nigerians as expressed by Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, when he declared that the current challenges are beyond the capacity of the government in power.
“The problems of this nation are beyond the solution that can be offered by this government, that’s the first admission; they have to stop thinking in partisan government,” the literary giant had said while playing host to some students on his 85th birthday celebration recently.
The Senate also direced the Budget office and its Committees on Appropriation and Defence, when constituted, to ensure that necessary funds are allocated in the 2020 appropriation bill for the operations of lying patrols of the Armed Forces and other security agencies.
In addition, it called on the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to accelerate action in maintaining potholes in Federal Highways where most acts of kidnapping and other heinous crimes are committed.
Contributing to the motion, Nicholas Tofowomo (PDP, Ondo) recommend that a security summit be convenved where stakeholders would proffer solutions to the security menace confronting the country.
The lawmaker said: “It is obvious that our internal security is in shambles. It is nothing to write home about. They have not even started anything at all. We don’t have any internal security. So we cannot even be talking of Next Level. We need a robust conference on our security arrangement in this country. Because now we are talking of a person that was killed on Friday. What about those people that we don’t even know?
“We cannot be coming here and be complaining and be passing the buck to the Federal Government. It is beyond Federal Government. All of us must cry out. And we must all sit down together and address this issue so that an average Nigerian can be guaranteed of his or her safety”.
In his submission, Tolu Odebiyi (APC, Ogun) stressed the need for the National Assembly to send a delegation to the Presidency on the matter, expressing regret that Nigerians have now given to despair.
He said: “We have to demand an action by security forces. We have to demand an action by the Presidency. We need to stand up and find a solution to this problem. There is nothing that we do here that appeals if we don’t get our security situation right in this country.
“Only last week, we discussed here the issue of Continental Free Trade Agreement and to my surprise, Ghana has now been made the headquarters of the agreement. This is a major loss for this country. Economically, it has major impact and these are the implications when you don’t get your security situation right. And we cannot watch everyday coming here, mourning, grieving, having one minute of silence as innocent Nigerians are being killed and no action is being taken.
“There is a feeling of hopelessness that nothing we do here has effect”.
On his part, Ajayi Boroffice (APC, Ondo) condemned what he called ethnic profiling of Fulani herdsmen and absolved them of the killing of the daughter of the elder statesman.
