Worried by the abduction of 25 students of the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State, the Senate on Tuesday urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately approve urgent recruitment of at least 100, 000 Nigerians into the military to further boost security in the country.
This was just as it set up an adhoc committee to carry out thorough investigation into the fund expended so far on the Safe School Initiative while calling for the rescue of all the students from their abductors.
The Senate resolutions were sequel to an urgent motion sponsored by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (APC Kebbi North) on the abduction of the school girls in the early hours of Monday.
Presenting the motion, Senator Abdullahi said the abduction of the students and killing of the school Vice Principal by bandits was a dirty slap on the face of nation which must be seriously looked into and urgently addressed.
He said: “This is a wake up call for the country as far as security and safety are concerned, because a nation that cannot secure its children, is not worth living in.”
Senator Abdullahi warned that if an end is not put to abduction of pupils from their various schools, acquisition of knowledge by school age Nigerians would be seriously undermined and by extension, stagnates the growth and development of the country.
Contributing to the motion, the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC Borno North), described the act as dastardly which according to him, must be risen against by all Nigerians.
Also, Senator Francis Fadahunsi (APC Osun East) wonders why the criminality of banditry and terrorism still persist in the country despite the effort being put against it by President Bola Tinubu-led federal government, warning that the Nation has to get rid of it before foreign powers intervene.
“The more President Tinubu struggles to end the banditry and terrorism , the more kidnapping continues. Crime is spreading every day. Nigerians must stand up against this impunity before we have problem from abroad,” he said.
In his own, Senator Sani Musa (APC Niger East), said for banditry and terrorism to be effective curbed in the country, more officers and men, need to urgently recruited into the military to man the ungoverned areas being exploited by the criminal elements to carry out their heinous acts .
Former President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC Yobe North), in his contribution, stressed the need for probe of the Safe School Programme implemented after the Chibock girls abduction in 2014.
According to him, since schools are not yet safe and secured for our pupils , there is need to probe the fund given and how expended that the expected results, are not being received.
The Senate after exhaustive debate on the motion, called for urgent rescue of the abducted school pupils, urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the military to recruit at least 100,000 officers and men as soon as possible for more potent war against banditry and terrorism in the country.
The upper legislative chamber mandated its Committees on Finance, Education and Defence to carry out thorough investigation on the safe school fund instituted in 2014.
It later observed one minute silence for the Vice Principal of the School as well as Brigadier General Uba Musa killed by ISWAP terrorists in Damboa, Borno State on Sunday.
In his remarks after adoption of the resolutions, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said: “No country is free of crime—not even the United States. But our responsibility is to make laws, pass motions, and take decisions that reduce crime to the barest minimum. Crime is crime; it does not belong to any administration.
“We urge the Armed Forces and all Nigerians with useful information to assist in securing the release of these children and ensuring justice for the victims.”
