SENATOR Shehu Sani on Tuesday in Abuja said there was the need to set aside politics in the efforts to address the security challenges confronting the country.

Relying on Order 43 of the Senate standing rules, Sani raised a point of order during plenary on the need to address security concerns in the country.

According to him, most of the issues are hinged on ethnic religious and sectional sentiments.

“It has gotten to a level that we lose the essence of what we are supposed to do as people in position of power.

“It is time for all in this country to rise to the challenge instead of leaving in self-denial.

“A denial in the sense that people who are supposed to speak the truth have taken an attitude of silence and many of them are burying themselves in politics,’’ Sani said.

He expressed concern that a local government area in his constituency, Birnin Gwari in Kaduna, had been under siege since 2015.

“This local government in the last two to three years has been under siege of armed herdsmen and bandits.

“Bandits have made life intolerable to the people; many villages in this local government have been sacked.

“Farmers don’t go to their farms nowadays; killings and abduction have become a daily affair, just few days ago, about seven persons were killed.

“This country is becoming a theatre of war, you see bodies of victims killed, dismembered and shared on social media.

“There is nowhere in Africa today where you see pictures and images being shared every day.

“I am deeply concerned that the essence for which we should be in government and address those very important issues has not been given the required attention as they should be.

“This systematic killing is becoming widespread. It is time to put politics aside and focus on the issue of insecurity.

“This local government has become a centre piece of violence and killings.

“I am raising this issue to all the authorities that are concerned that there is a need to have a permanent military presence in this local government,’’ Sani said.

Responding, the Deputy President of the Senate, reiterated that the purpose of government was to protect the lives and property of Nigerians.

“As parliamentarians and representatives of the people, it is our responsibility to continuously call the attention of government to some of these things.

“The issue of the monopoly of force should be that of the state,  but today, the non-state actors have taken over the issue of violence which is very regrettable.

“So, we must be able to stamp our feet and be able to show our people that we can protect their lives and property which is the primary purpose of government.

“I want to appeal to the government to step up our responsibilities to ensure that we protect our people.

“Because once these things are happening, it will be affecting us internationally in terms of our public relations.

“In terms of our direct foreign investment, and then the confidence our people have in government will be eroded.

“We must all as a government do something to stop this level of killings going on in Nigeria.

“Happily, the Senate will be having a national security summit this week to be able to proffer more enduring solutions in dealing with this spate of killings.

“By the grace of God, we will be able to find our way out of this situation we found ourselves,’’ Ekweremadu said. (NAN)

– Feb. 6, 2018 @ 17:05 GMT |