The House of Representatives on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on Nigeria’s security sector.
The decision followed a motion of Urgent Public Importance moved by the Chief Whip of the house, Rep. Mohammed Monguno, during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.
The motion was tagged “Recent Attack by the Boko Haram Insurgents at Auno Village, Borno State”.
Monguno, who presented the motion, said commuters on the Damaturu-Maiduguri road were compelled to suspend their journeys once it was 6 p.m due to security challenges in the northeast.
“Auno village is one of the spots where the Nigeria Army forces instruct the commuters on the Damaturu-Maiduguri road to spend the night before proceeding their journeys the next morning.
“On Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, while commuters in their hundreds were waiting in the Auno village, the military men left them to their faith or at best abandoned them,” he said.
Monguno also expressed concern that while the commuters were waiting to spend the night, Boko Haram insurgents attacked, kidnapped and burnt some of their vehicles.
“The occupants of two Hummer Buses and one Sharon Bus were kidnapped, 18 vehicles burnt and 30 people killed, including an infant,’’ he said.
The lawmaker said that the non-existence of a “super Military camp” on the Damanturu-Maiduguri road was exposing commuters to dangers of being “killed, maimed or kidnaped”.
He added that keeping commuters waiting at night was dangerous in view of the security challenges in Nigeria, especially the northeast.
The Minority Leader of the house, Rep. Ndudi Elumelu (PDP-Delta), who also supported the motion, reiterated the call for the removal of security chiefs.
The house, however, urged the military authority “to henceforth stop the keeping of commuters overnight at a particular period on the Damaturu-Maiduguri road and allow them to proceed on their journeys after 6 p.m.”
The lawmakers directed the house committees on Army, National Security, and Intelligence to investigate the remote causes of the attack.
The green chamber also directed the Committee on Army to look into the setting up of super camps in Auno, and the withdrawal of the military from checkpoints.
