By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The last may not have been heard on the gruesome murder of 43 farmers in Borno State by the terrorist Boko Haram insurgents over the weekend.
The inability of President Muhammadu Buhari to get a handle on the worsening security situation in the country as evidenced in the latest killings was a matter for discussion at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
The Senate during plenary on Tuesday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack service chiefs as a result of their failure to secure Nigerians.
The Senate decision, which is the third it would pass this year, followed a motion by Senator Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno State on the killing of the rice farmers.
The Senate asked Buhari to replace the security chiefs with new ones “immediately.”
The red chamber also asked Buhari to restructure and remodel the nation’s security architecture.
Apart from that, the chamber demanded a probe into the allegations of corruption and financial leakage levelled against some top hierarchy of the military.
The Senate asked Buhari to aggressively negotiate with the nation’s neighbouring countries for multinational cooperation in order to strengthen the war against insurgency.
It directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, NEMA and NEDC to provide succour and psychological support for the families of the victims.
It also sought proper welfare for soldiers at the war front and proper resettlement and support for the families of the fallen soldiers.
It urged the federal and state governments to address issues fueling insecurity.
It similarly called for massive recruitment into the military and the police force.
Meanwhile, a move to invite Buhari to brief the House of Representatives on the security situation in the country as a result of the killings sharply divided the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The motion of urgent national importance sponsored by lawmakers from Borno State originally canvassed for the invitation of the President.
But while presenting the motion, lead sponsor, Ahmed Santomi, excluded the prayer, but rather asked for the declaration of a state of emergency on security situation in the country.
However, coming under matters of privilege, one of the sponsors, Hon. Ahmed Haha, expressed displeasure that the prayer was excluded after it was collectively agreed by the sponsors, insisting that the prayer be included and the President invited to brief the House.
Efforts by the Speaker to make him withdraw the prayer which came in form of amendment failed as he insisted that all members from Borno State who were sponsors of the motion should agree on that first.
The Speaker said because of the nature of security issues, it would not be ideal to invite the President because security matters cannot be discussed in public, stressing however that the issue of declaring a state of emergency will allow for the use of extra measures in tackling the issue.
Tempers began to rise when the House Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, said security issues were too delicate to bring to the floor of the House, while Hon. Shehu Koko said the leadership of the Green Chamber should interface with the President on the issue.
Both Hon. Doguwa and Shehu Koko were shouted down by the members.
However, Gbajabiamila expressed disappointment over the behaviour of his colleagues, saying “I am a little disappointed by these shouting down. So we are going to dissolve into executive session to resolve this issue.”
