By Reborn Jude
National News – The House of Representatives has summoned the nation’s service chiefs and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to provide a detailed account of funds allocated and released for security operations amid worsening insecurity across the country.
The resolution followed the adoption of separate motions on the increasing cases of banditry, kidnappings and attacks on communities, schools and places of worship, particularly in the North-West region.
Lawmakers expressed concern that despite huge budgetary allocations to the defence sector, criminal groups continue to operate with apparent ease, carrying out deadly attacks and mass abductions in several parts of the country.
Leading the debate, the member representing Abia under the Labour Party, Ibe Osonwa, lamented the rising incidents of kidnappings and attacks on educational institutions, warning that the trend was worsening Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis and exposing vulnerable communities to fear and trauma.
According to him, the government’s security response has remained largely reactive and inadequate despite substantial public funds appropriated annually for defence and security operations.
Osonwa reminded the Federal Government of its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property, stressing that the increasing attacks on schools have disrupted education and forced thousands of children out of classrooms.
He also decried the systematic targeting of schools and places of worship by criminal elements, warning that facilities traditionally regarded as safe havens have become soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers.
The lawmaker further argued that the inability to decisively tackle bandits and terrorists was creating the impression that parts of the country were gradually slipping from government control.
Also contributing to the debate, Sulaiman Gumi, who represents Zamfara under the All Progressives Congress, described the security situation in Zamfara and other North-West states as a humanitarian crisis fuelled by armed banditry, kidnappings and violent criminal activities.
Gumi cited the recent abduction of seven students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, as well as the continued captivity of two senior lecturers of the institution despite the payment of ransom.
Following deliberations, the House resolved to invite the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff and other relevant security chiefs, alongside the Minister of Finance, to brief lawmakers on the amount appropriated and released for security operations and the impact of the expenditure on the fight against insecurity.
The lawmakers said the appearance would give Nigerians an opportunity to understand how security funds had been utilised and why the expected results had yet to be achieved.
The House also called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately adopt a comprehensive and aggressive security strategy to flush out bandits and kidnappers from their hideouts, restore safety across the country and secure the release of citizens held captive by criminal groups.
It further urged the Minister of Defence to deploy additional troops and operational equipment to Zamfara and other affected North-West states to strengthen ongoing military operations.
The lawmakers condemned what they described as the continued wave of banditry, mass abductions and attacks on schools and places of worship, while also advocating non-kinetic measures to address the socio-economic factors driving criminality.
To this end, they called on the ministries responsible for agriculture, education, environment and humanitarian affairs to implement programmes aimed at tackling the root causes of insecurity.
The House mandated its committees on defence, national security and intelligence, army and other relevant committees to oversee the implementation of the resolutions and report back within two weeks.
The lawmakers maintained that the persistence of insecurity despite massive security spending raises serious concerns about accountability and effectiveness within the country’s security architecture, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know how public funds allocated for security have been spent.
