Nigeria Daily Log - FORUMS

The House of Representatives on Wednesday invited President Muhammadu Buhari to appear before it to explain the actions he had taken to halt killings in the country.

The House members, who debated the incessant killings by herdsmen in Benue State and other parts of the country, said the unending attacks had confirmed that Buhari’s administration had “failed.”

The House asked the President to deploy full military presence in Benue State “within 24 hours to smoke out killer herdsmen for prosecution.”

It also resolved that the killer herdsmen should be declared as “terrorists.”

In addition, members agreed to shut down legislative duties for three days in protest against the unending killings in the country.

The motion to invite Buhari was moved by an All Progressives Congress member from Kano State, Mr. Bashir Baballe.

It was passed in a unanimous voice vote.

The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, presided over Wednesday’s session.

Baballe said, “We should summon Mr. President, he is the chief security officer of this country.

“What has Mr. President been doing to address all these security challenges? We need to know. I move that we should summon Mr. President.”

He was seconded by another APC member from Yobe State, Mr. Goni Bukar, before the prayer was passed by members.

The lawmakers came to the conclusion after information got to them that 22 more persons had again been massacred in Benue State by herdsmen in Guma and Daudu communities on Wednesday.

This was barely 24 hours after 19 worshippers, including two Catholic priests, were gunned down during an early morning funeral Mass in the Ayar Mbalom, Gwer-East Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.

A torrent of condemnation followed a motion on urgent public importance moved by a member from Benue State, Mr. Mark Terseer-Gbillah, to bring to the attention of the House, an earlier attack on Nakka by soldiers on April 19.

Terseer-Gbillah, a member of the APC, recalled how the soldiers torched houses and killed two villagers to avenge the death of a soldier, believed to have been murdered by unknown persons in the area.

He informed the House that while the people of Benue had yet to come to terms with the incident, the killing of the priests and 17 worshippers occurred.

Terseer-Gbillah added that just before he came for the Wednesday’s session, he got fresh reports that 22 more villagers had been killed.

“Mr. Speaker, as we speak, what we heard is that another 22 lives have been taken this morning in Daudu, Guma.

“It will appear that war has been declared on Benue State, he added.

The member representing Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency, Mr. Dickson Takighir, also spoke on the latest killing.

“Mr. Speaker, they have killed 22 persons again this morning in Guma. It is most unfortunate that this is happening to us in this country,” he said.

Nearly all the speakers on Wednesday concluded that the Buhari administration had failed to secure the lives and property of Nigerians from the rampaging herdsmen.

A member from Kaduna State, Mr. Hassan Shekarau, pointed out that many states in the country were “under siege” from herdsmen and bandits.

He named Taraba, Benue, Kwara, Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kogi and Nasarawa as some of the states under siege.

“The government of the day has failed us. Today, the road to Birnin Gwari has been closed due to insecurity,” Shekarau stated.

A Peoples Democratic Party member from Kogi State, Mr. Karimi Sunday, observed that a government that was incapable of safeguarding the lives of citizens had lost its relevance.

“You will agree with me that the government has failed in upholding Section 14(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), where it says that the security and welfare of the state is the primary responsibility of government.

“What we see every day is bloodletting and killings. We cannot continue this way. Mr. President has failed and there is anarchy all over the land,” he added.

A similar position was canvassed by an APC member from Borno State, Mr. Mohammed Sheriff.

He said, “The killings are alarming and the killers should be treated as terrorists.”

The Chairman, House Committee on Human Rights, Mr. Edward Pwajok, SAN, expressed fears over the religious dimension the attacks by the herdsmen had taken in Benue State.

Pwajok, an APC member from Plateau State, noted that attacking Catholic priests was a dimension that “may consume all of us if we continue to sit, watch and do nothing.”

The Chairman, House Committee on Rules/Business, Mr. Orker Jev, and another PDP member, Mr. Henry Ofongo, recalled how the Federal Government wasted no time in declaring members of the Indigenous People of Biafra as terrorists.

Ofongo stated, “It is so sad that life means nothing to this administration. IPOB members, who did not kill innocent citizens, were declared as terrorists.

“Why is it difficult for President Buhari to declare the herdsmen as terrorists and treat them the way terrorists are treated?”

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas, said the House earlier summoned the service chiefs, but saw that the killings escalated after the service chiefs left the National Assembly.

“So, we have invited Mr. President himself to hear from him. It would appear that some of his security chiefs are not carrying out his orders.

“The invitation is meant to hear from Mr. President, first-hand, what he is doing about the security situation of our country,” Namdas added.
punchng.com

Inasmuch as the president really needs to explain the security situation,the security chiefs as well should be summoned and give a report about the security situation regarding the herdsmen menace.