By Haruna Salami
The Senate on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to discontinue the rehabilitation of repentant Boko Haram members as it adopted a motion condemning the rising wave of attacks, kidnappings and killings of serving and retired military personnel across the country.
The resolution followed the adoption of an additional prayer during the consideration of a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, prompted by the recent abduction and death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, who died in captivity after he and his wife were kidnapped in Katsina State.
Leading the debate, Senator Yar’Adua described the country’s worsening security situation as a national emergency, lamenting the growing attacks on military personnel by terrorists and criminal gangs.
He said the death of the retired Major General and other victims in terrorist custody was not only a personal tragedy but also a painful national loss that underscored the persistent insecurity confronting the nation.
According to him, terrorists have become increasingly sophisticated and emboldened, extending their attacks beyond civilians to serving and retired military officers.
“The increasing frequency with which serving and retired military personnel are being targeted by criminal and terrorist groups represents a dangerous evolution in the nation’s security challenges,” he said.
The Senate observed a minute’s silence in honour of the late General Abubakar and other Nigerians who lost their lives to terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
Seconding the motion, Senator Osita Izunaso described the killings as alarming and urged security agencies to move beyond routine responses by ensuring the perpetrators were arrested and prosecuted.
“We have to mandate them to ensure that these people are arrested because we are all following the incident.
“The perpetrators must be arrested and brought to book,” he said.
Contributing to the debate, Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro painted a grim picture of the country’s security situation, saying even public officials under government protection were no longer safe.
“It is becoming increasingly dangerous for people, even those of us protected by government, to travel on the roads these days,” Moro said.
He recounted the recent killing of a professor near a police checkpoint in Benue State, describing the incident as evidence of the worsening insecurity.
“If people can conveniently be killed like that, then it becomes increasingly scary that we are all walking corpses,” he lamented.
Moro urged the Senate leadership to urgently meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to convey lawmakers’ concerns over the deteriorating security situation.
Senator Abdul Ningi called on the National Assembly to strengthen its constitutional oversight role, questioning why criminal groups continued to occupy parts of the country.
“Is this country at war? If we are not at war, why are non-government bodies controlling parts of this country?” he asked.
He also urged the Senate to investigate the number of security personnel killed nationwide and assess the level of support available to their families.
Responding to the debate, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin defended the efforts of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, saying security personnel continued to make enormous sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
Our men in uniform are doing their best. They are working very hard,” Barau said.
He noted that terrorism and banditry had assumed a regional dimension, affecting several countries across West Africa, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Barau maintained that the Federal Government was making significant efforts to address the security challenges.
During consideration of additional prayers to the motion, Senator Joseph Ikpea proposed that the Federal Government should discontinue programmes aimed at rehabilitating repentant Boko Haram members.
Supporting the proposal, Senator Adams Oshiomhole argued that “granting pardon and rehabilitating criminals was unjustifiable”.
The Senate also called on the Federal Government to ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the killing of Major General Abubakar, mandated the Senate leadership to meet with President Tinubu on the nation’s security challenges, and urged stronger intelligence gathering, enhanced surveillance, community-based security partnerships and the deployment of modern technology to combat terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
The Senate further resolved to send a delegation to the family of the late Major General Abubakar, the Katsina State Government and the Nigerian Army to convey its condolences.
This version retains all the original facts and resolutions while improving clarity, flow, grammar and overall newspaper style without altering the meaning.
