Senate urges security agencies to deploy drones to monitor forests
By Kingsley Okoye
The Senate on Tuesday urged Security Agencies to actively deploy drones and helicopters to monitor forests and unguarded areas in Nigeria to identify illegal camps of bandits.
This was part of its resolutions following its adoption of a motion on the “General Insecurity in Nigeria” sponsored by Sen. Ajayi Boroffice (APC Ondo) and co-sponsored by 106 other senators.
President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan in his remark said the National Assembly would continue to talk about the security situation in the country, adding that there was need to deploy more resources to fight insecurity.
Lawan also said the state governors and local governments’ authorities should be fully involved in the fight against insecurity to compliment the effort of the Federal Government.
He, however, urged the Federal Government to further equip security agencies to adequately combat insecurity in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the adoption came weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari had nominated new
Service Chiefs to spearhead new drive to curb all forms of insecurity and brigandage in different parts of the country.
The Senate also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the National Security Adviser, the newly-nominated Service Chiefs, and the Inspector-General of Police to devise measures to reposition the nation’s security architecture for effective counter measures against insecurity.
It also urged State Governors to immediately embark on an operation to checkmate proliferation of firearms and enforce the laws against illegal proliferation of firearms by arresting and punishing culprits.
It also urged the Federal Government to re-invigorate rural governance and convene state-wide inter communal conclaves and dialogues to promote local conflicts resolution and inter-ethnic harmony.
It urged state governors to implement the National Livestock Transformation Plan, a modern scheme designed to prevent farmers-herders conflicts and activate highly productive livestock sector in Nigeria.
The Senate also urged the federal government to adequately equip the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to police and monitor the borders using technology to check illegal immigrants and checkmate smuggling of fire arms.
It further urged the federal government to resuscitate and inaugurate the National Task Force Commission to combat the proliferation of light weapons, small arms and ammunition.
Boroffice in his presentation decried the killings and kidnappings in Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Imo, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, Nasarawa, Kebbi and other parts of the country.
He said the recurring security challenges in parts of the country had led to issuance of unlawful eviction notices by some ethnic entrepreneurs and groups posing as ethnic nationalists and champions.
He expressed worry that many Nigerians had injected ethnic sentiments, adding that the development was capable of plunging the nation into ethno-religious crisis.
He also expressed concern that if the current state of insecurity across the nation was not curtailed it could lead to food insecurity and famine as many farmers no longer accessed their farmlands.
He said it was the responsibility of all leaders at all levels to address the security challenges of Nigeria, adding that the local actors and authorities should not absolve themselves of their responsibilities.
He condemned the extra-judicial killings, banditry, kidnappings in Nigeria, saying that every Nigerian has the right to live and acquire property in any parts of the country.
Senators, who contributed to the motion hinged on the need to ensure community policing, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of banditry and other forms of criminality in the country.
They also emphasised the need to further equip the security agencies.
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