- Inaugurates Ad-hoc Committee to Probe Senate Invasion
By Abdul Rahman Aliagan
With the rising pace of illegal possession of firearms in the country, the Senate, yesterday, invited heads of the nation’s security agencies to come and give insights to causes and possible solution at curbing the ugly trend.
Despite his antics and continuous snubbing the invitation by the Senate, the Upper Chamber extends the invitation to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris among other security chiefs, the invitation includes Director-General, Department of State Services, Lawal Daura; Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali; Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, and others.
Senate resolved to summoned the service chiefs following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, who traced the genesis of unlawful possession of firearms to the cases of religious, communal and other conflicts across the country.
Hunkuyi said, that inspite of the continuous killings of innocent citizens across the country, such as in Benue, Kaduna, Kogi, Zamfara and other states, government is not doing enough to contain the heinous killings and curtail the illegal possession of arms.
He maintained that unless the matter is tackled urgently, ongoing calls by some opinion leaders for self-defence could make more citizens stock up on firearms.
Hunkuyi berated government agencies charged with the responsibility of containing the situation, saying that “Negligence by government agencies tasked with controlling how individuals and corporate entities acquire firearms is becoming unbearable.”
Senate therefore mandated its comittee on Intelligence and National Security to probe the remote and immediate causes of the problem.
In his contribution, Senator Shehu Sani accused the political class of complicity on the matter. He said the rate at which people were being killed suggests the country has more illegal firearms than ever before. He called for a new national mindset where people would see politics as an opportunity to serve rather than a do-or-die affair.
Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan, also insisted the proliferation of firearms explains the many killings in the country. He tasked the security chiefs to find a lasting solution to the issue.
Senate President Bukola Saraki, while approving the resolutions, said the rate of the killings and poor response by the security agencies called for a concerted effort.
Also, Saraki inaugurated an ad-hoc committee of Senate and House of Representatives members to probe the April 18 invasion by thugs who made away with the upper legislative chamber’s mace.
The committee is to be chaired by Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Na’ Allah.
The Senate president said: “The incident will go down as one of the darkest days of our democracy. The precincts of the National Assembly are not just places where the National Assembly meets, they are the symbol of our liberty and freedom from autocracy, and the base of our democracy.
“This should not happen. It should never have happened. The violation of this solemn place, the symbol of our liberty, by a group of mobsters and criminals, cannot simply be ignored. It has been inferred in many quarters that a serving, distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria led this group of thugs and urchins. This is most despicable and unspeakable.”
He added: “We owe it a duty that the legislative process is purged of this dirt and the legislature restored to its full place of dignity. This is a duty that must be achieved. We cannot let a precedence proceed from this. Everyone involved, from conception to execution of this heinous crime, must be brought to book.
“This committee, therefore, must see its charge as pivotal to the restoration of the sanctity, the preservation of the dignity of the National Assembly, and the restoration of the security, integrity and moral authority of the National Assembly.”