The Senate has urged the Chief of Army Staff to re-establish a military command base in Garkida, Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa and all major settlements bordering Sambisa forest to curtail the activities of insurgents.
The resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Sen. Aishatu Dahiru (APC-Adamawa) on Tuesday during plenary.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Feb. 21, an insurgent group attacked Garkida, a peaceful town in Gombi, Adamawa Central Senatorial District.
The upper chamber also called on the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to immediately embark on rehabilitation of public and religious institutions destroyed and provide assistance to other individuals affected.
Moving the motion earlier, Dahiru said that the insurgents in over seven gun trucks and many motorcycles attacked the town at about 7 p.m., setting many buildings ablaze.
According to her, property worth millions of naira is burnt or destroyed including public hospital, schools, telecommunication facilities, police station and buses, among others.
She called for the urgent need to take more drastic actions in the face of such affront on the national security architecture, the region and indeed the entire nation as this was long overdue.
She said that in view of the enormity of the situation, the Federal Government needed to put more innovative measures in place to frontally confront these challenges.
Seconding the motion, Sen. Yaroe Binos (PDP-Adamawa) raised concerns that the attacks which had being taking place appeared to be unending.
“Few days ago, this Senate dedicated a whole day to debate the issue of insecurity in this country. And as a result, an ad hoc committee was set up.
“It is important for us that drastic action is taken to bring these attacks to an end. It is important that the issue of security be addressed frontally because it appears to be getting out of hand,” he said.
In his remarks, President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan said that the ad hoc committee on Nigeria’s security challenges that was set up by the Senate and inaugurated on Feb. 4 was working very hard toward proffering solution to insecurity in the country.
“We will not rest on our oars. The security of lives and property is the primary responsibility of government. We will work with the House of Representatives and the executive to achieve results,” Lawan said.(NAN)
