Reps caution public officers against inflammatory statements
The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, cautioned public officials against statements, actions and policies that can cause unrest in the country.
The call was a sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Dachung Bagos (PDP-Plateau) at the plenary.
Moving the motion, Bagos said that the idea of being inflammatory or divisive is any drastic policies, statements and actions that are capable of provoking aggressive reactions.
He recalled that on Feb. 13, the Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State made a statement, which is reported to have justified the illegal bearing of firearms by Fulani herdsmen.
The statement, he said, has caused national outrage.
According to him, “The constitution does not grant any individual or group of people the right to bare sophisticated arms but only a specified shooting range licensed by the Inspector General of Police (IG).
“Even if the IG were to grant licenses, the IG’s power cannot contravene the provisions of Chapter F28 LFN 004 Fire Arms Act which classifies the arms (AK47) carried by Fulani herdsmen, as ascribed by the Bauchi State Governor, as illegal and prohibited.
“The inflammatory and divisive statement by the governor will lead to the erroneous belief that the government supports the perpetrated crimes of carrying prohibited firearms.
“The situation can easily lead to armed conflict as other groups such as farmers and defenceless citizens will consider it as a threat to their safety and opt to arm themselves with AK47.
“If all public officials, regardless of their position or status, are not cautioned against inciting or provoking the general public, the already tense situation in the country will lead to open hostilities,’’ Bagos said.
The House resolved that the leadership should interface with Nigerian Governors Forum as most of these inflammatory and divisive statements are coming from the governors.
Earlier, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila in his opening remarks, said that he spoke about the rising spate of insecurity and conflict across the country.
Gbajabiamila said that the explosion of violence that led to citizens’ death and loss of property in Oyo State was a manifestation of past warning.
He commiserated with the Oyo State Government and families of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident.
“I assure all Nigerians that the House of Representatives will work, within the powers available to us, to prevent reoccurrence of similar incidents, not just in Oyo State but across our country.
“The House of Representatives has neither command nor control of the country’s security apparatus and we cannot act to deploy men and equipment to gather intelligence, enforce laws and take all other actions necessary to prevent the breakdown of law and order and the wanton violence that followed.
“However, the House is a microcosm of our beloved country, and here in this chamber, we represent every tribe and region, creed and religion.
“We owe a duty to the people we serve, to do the things we believe sincerely in our hearts can improve the circumstances of their lives.
“Today, we serve that duty by calling on the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a speedy and thorough investigation into the recent violence in Oyo State.
“To allow for prosecution and punishment of those who instigated and participated in the killings and destruction of property.
“The Committees on Police Affairs and Justice are mandated to communicate the House position to the Inspector General of Police,” the Speaker said.
Gbajabiamila said that President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier announced a committee led by the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Babagana Monguno to hold peace and unity consultations across the country.
He said that the committee will engage governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, security agencies, indigenous and settled groups across the states to enact resolutions aimed at building peace in the land.
“House of Representatives aligns with this initiative, and we will constitute a working group to participate in these consultations.
“We will work together to examine the cultural, religious and localised conflicts over land and history that are often at the root of internal security challenges and violent upheavals such as occurred in Oyo state last week and other parts of the country over the years.”
He said cautioned all those, who have large followership of people, and whose voices are respected, to be more circumspect about the information they share, warning that politicians should be mindful of the language they use as “words have outsize consequences on our nation’s peace and stability, given that it has the power to build and to destroy”.
The lawmaker said that political leaders have a greater responsibility to keep the peace in our country and must first commit themselves to the cause of equal justice and fair treatment for all.
