The Senate has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently declare a state of emergency on insecurity in the country.
This was as the Upper Chamber condemned the abduction of students and teachers of Government Science School in Kagara, Niger State by bandits.
The resolution was reached after the Senate considered a motion titled, “Abduction of Students and Teachers of Government Science School Kagara: Need for urgent action.”
Senator from Niger East, Mohammed Sani Musa sponsored the motion.
The Upper Chamber also urged the President to consider and implement the recommendations of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Nigeria’s Security Challenges dated March, 17th 2020 and the Senate Resolutions therefrom, as a holistic response to the mounting security challenges across the country.
Speaking, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, underscored the need for the military and security agencies to work in collaboration with various state governments in securing schools in the northern part of Nigeria, where abduction has become predominant.
He said: “I believe that there is a need for something new; a different initiative on especially how to protect our schools. And, let me be a little bit clear about the incident of abducting students from schools.
“Almost all incidents of abducting students from schools happen in northern Nigeria and we all know how much efforts our leaders of yesterday, probably right from independence, worked so hard to ensure that children go to school in northern Nigeria.
“With incidents like this, we will be reversing all the gains that were made in convincing parents to take their children and wards to school.
“So, there’s a need for our security agencies and the government to ensure that we come up with a strategy of ensuring security in schools, because with this spate of kidnapping or abductions, definitely there’ll be that negative effect on the desire and willingness of parents to allow their children to go to school.
“And, the consequences of not going to school are better imagined in 21st century Nigeria or the 21st-century world.
“So, the Service Chiefs-designate have their work clearly cut out for them. Part of what they are supposed to carry on board is how to secure our schools in addition to so many other challenges that they have to deal with.
“I believe that the states have to be carried along because the schools belong to the states. So, that partnership and cooperation between the security agencies and the states must be adhered to, so that the states cooperate fully with security agencies of government.
“With that, the whole country will be praying and waiting for our abducted children to be returned to their parents secured and well”.
