The Senator representing Zamfara West Constituency, Senator Sani Yerima on Wednesday lamented on the menace happening in the state cum the inability of Nigerian Police to curb threats in the state, saying that it has come to the point when the federal government should deploy Nigerian Army to the state.
He made this known during today’s plenary.
According to him, ‘This is beyond the Police , more than 5 villages are out of their homes in Zamfara State, we need to mandate the Federal Government to deploy the Nigerian Army instead of the Police’ he said.
Supporting the motion raised by Sen. Yerima, was the Senator representing Zamfara Central, Sen. Kabir Marafa who said “I support this motion. The last 6 years we’ve lost over 5000 individuals in the menace happening in Zamfara State.”
Reacting on the issue, the Deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu said, “I express my sympathy over the people of Zamfara State, this affects our foreign investments. Nigeria is the only Country with a Federal Government and a centralized police system, we must decentralize the Nigerian police system.”
Similarly, the Senate President Bukola Saraki said, “we use this opprotunity to really ask ourselves, what’s the way forward? how do we put an end to this classes of approach, we need to plan, whether we are going to call the security agencies, we need to have a round table discussion.
“We need to confront this issue, coming here all the time to condole and get up to observe one minute silence and this still continues, let us use this opportunity to really ask ourselves what should we do and how do we go forward with this.
“We need to set up a committee and find the way forward, I hear most of us saying the military should be deployed but that is not their designated responsibility so that cannot be a long term solution, we need to really put an end to this”, he said
Supporting the senate presidents points was Sen. Yayi Adeola who said that “We must organize a round table discussion among all security agencies constituted, there is a need to amend our constitution, this communal clash must not linger on, I support State police.”
Other senators who spoke includes, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Jonah David Jang, Senator Sam Anyanwu, Senator Danjuma Goje, Senator Abdullahi Yahaya, Sen. Dino melaye, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Read their reactions below:
‘Some of the masterminds of this communal clashes are known, some have been apprehended before and released.’-Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
In a Community where a person commits an offense and no one faces trial, it makes us look like we run a lawless society. People are arrested at the State level are transferred to the Federal level and released.’-Senator Jonah David Jang.
Senator Sam Anyanwu says a fall out of this communal clashes is as a result of youth restlessness, unemployment and high rate of out of school population.
‘The State Police will not be the solution, they would be controlled by State Governors and take sides, this calls for round table.’- Senator Danjuma Goje.
‘White paper reports have not been implemented, the entire security outfit in the Country has collapsed due to corruption. The difference between crime management and security management is intelligence.’- Senator Abdullahi Yahaya.
‘There is a serious loss of confidence of citizens in the Nigerian Police force and other security outfits and the confidence of citizens should be built by the police force and other security outfits.’-Senator @dino melaye
‘We cannot do the same thing over 50 years and expect different results. Cattle rearers move about with AK 47 and no one is saying anything.’-Senator Godswill Akpabio.
‘The laws we make here will outlive us, we must put National interest above personal interest, I support State Police, the body should be trained for specific security functions.’- Senator Magnus Abe.
