Kayode ShopekanSENATE has insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari declare bandits as terrorists and wage total war against them.
This upper chamber tasked the President to give orders to the military to eliminate bandits by bombing their hideouts.
The Senate also asked President Buhari to immediately declare all known leadership of the bandits wanted, and track them wherever they are for arrest and prosecution.
These formed part of resolutions that were reached after the chamber considered a motion on banditry in Sokoto during plenary.
Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC, Sokoto East), raised the issue of bandits on rampage in Sokoto, following a crackdown on bandits by the military in Zamfara.
He noted that 21 Security Personal were killed in Dama and Gangara villages by rampaging bandits, of which 15 of them were soldiers, 3 mobile police and 3 members of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, in addition to the yet to be ascertained number of civilians from the neighboring villages.
“This shows that the problem is serious requiring concerted and urgent action by the declaration of total war on banditry. Losing such numbers of trained security personnel will further deplete the numerical strength of the security personnel we have in the country, therefore jeopardizing the security architecture of the country.” Gobir said
He added that most of the bandits have now relocated to Sabon Bimini and Isa local Government due to the sustained military operation at the Zamfara axis.
The lawmaker observed that while the crackdown on the bandits was taking place in Zamfara state, no concrete measures have so far been taken in Sokoto State, leaving it totally exposed to the activities of bandits.
He further expressed worry that the present military onslaught on the bandits is not well co-ordinated because it is only being orchestrated in Zamfara State, instead of all the front line States ravaged by bandits.
Gobir, therefore, called on the military to carry out a holistic operation on frontline states such as Sokoto, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna in order to produce effective and the desired results.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, commended the efforts of the Armed Forces in the sustained fight against insecurity in the country.
He called for increased funding for the military, the Senate President also tasked the relevant Committees of the National Assembly to ensure that funds appropriated to the armed forces are judiciously applied for the purpose for which they are budgeted
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