Bandits, dislodged Boko Haram members unite against Nigeria — FG

…As lawmakers call for engagement of foreign military mercenary

…FG will handle threat with firmness they deserve — Presidency

The Federal government has said bandits operating in the North-west and parts of the North-central zones have joined Boko Haram terrorists who were dislodged from the North-east region to attack Nigeria.

The Minister of Information Mr. Lai Muhammed made this known following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Owing to the incessant killing, Members of the House of Representatives called for the Federal Government to engage the services of mercenaries to supplement the efforts of security agencies in containing the situation.

The lawmakers charged the President to declare a state of emergency in the security sector as well as engagement of foreign military mercenary.

Among their suggestions include recommendation that the President should sack the National Security Adviser immediately and a repeated call for a state of emergency on insecurity in the country.

A key prayer, which was unanimously endorsed by the House, was to invoke Section 83 (1) of the 1999 Constitution to provide special funds, through a supplementary budget, to hire mercenaries in order to strengthen the anti-terror war.

The House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, moved the prayer which was unanimously voted for at the session presided over by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Ahmed Wase.

A prayer to declare a state of emergency on insecurity was also unanimously sought by the lawmakers who complained that they were overwhelmed by the daily wailings of their constituents.

Recall that Gunmen suspected to be bandits had invaded villages in Kanam Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State on Sunday, killing scores of villagers and setting houses ablaze. Gyanbahu, Kukawa, Karen, and Dungur were said to be the worst-hit communities.

During the plenary, the lawmaker representing Pakshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, Yusuf Gagdi, and his counterpart from Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency of Benue State, John Dyegh, moved separate motions to draw the attention of the House to the plight of the villagers in their respective constituencies.

The members noted that cases of killings, now a daily occurrence, had cheapened the lives of Nigerians and would appear that security agencies and the government had lost total control of the situation.

Some of them blamed President Buhari on whose table they said the buck stopped, charging him to take more decisive actions against criminal elements in the country.

Meanwhile, the Presidency said the Federal Government was committed to securing the lives and properties of Nigerians amid the rising spate of violent attacks on communities in parts of the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu gave the assurance to the people in a statement on Wednesday.

According to him, “Nigerians are assured that the government will keep its promise to the nation and threats to security will be handled with the firmness they call for, and the government will remain firm in securing the country’s unity and progress,” he said as he outlined some of the actions the government has taken to address the situation.

“In response to the recent spike in terrorist activity, particularly in the Kaduna and Niger States axis, the defence establishment, in response to presidential directives, has realigned and reorganised the ongoing operation in the areas, as well as that going on in the Niger Delta region.

“The new operations structures are being reinforced with land-based assets to increase the efficiency of the troops and intelligence is equally being reinforced. The air defence system is being reinforced with newly acquired jets and drones which assemblage and training for operators have been hastened to meet the current exigencies.”

He said the country was equally getting assurances of early delivery of equipment on order from manufacturers and effort is ongoing to conclude other major procurements still in process.

He revealed that the government said the Federal Executive Council approved the procurement of the ‘largest ever’ single procurement of military vehicles.

“At the same time, similar major operations are going in the South-East and the South-South where the economic life wire of the nation and electricity transmission lines are currently being secured from saboteurs,” said the President’s spokesman.

“What the sponsored saboteurs aim to show is that the government cannot provide power by sabotaging equipment at switches and other vital points. They will not succeed.

“The public knows who is who, and who has done what in our country’s governance. Massive gains being made will shortly be manifesting. Large number of arrests have equally been made.”

The presidential aide issued the statement in reaction to a call by a northern group for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over the continued killings in the country.

He maintained that publicity was the oxygen for politicians who have failed to connect with voters in a democracy and a resignation call on the President is not the solution to the security problems facing the country.

Shehu stressed the need for people to know what the government was doing to deal with the security situation, and for politicians to come to terms with the fact it was beneficial to help preserve the state.

“People don’t have to destroy what is there in a desperate quest to get power.”