The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to invite President Muhammadu Buhari to brief the house on the true state of the security situation in the country.
The decision to summon President Buhari was taken at Tuesday’s plenary when the House considered a motion moved by members from Borno State on the recent massacre of 43 rice farmers in the state by Boko Haram insurgents.
The debate had earlier turned rowdy after the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila appealed that it would be inappropriate to invite the president to disclose the actions being taken towards handling the security situation in the country. The Speaker described it as counter-productive.
Some members of the House were opposed to the Speaker’s position and this turned into a rowdy debate.
The House then went into an executive session to resolve the matter.
After the executive session which was held behind closed doors, the House resumed and Representative Ahmed Jaha who is one of the sponsors moved an amendment to invite the President to brief on the security situation in the country.
His amendment was seconded and unanimously adopted.
No date was however announced for the invitation.
Forty-three farmers were killed on Saturday morning around Marrabati and Hammayya villages, near Zabarmari in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists while on their way to their farms.
The farmers were waylaid on their way to their rice farms which they were harvesting before the surprise attack happened.
Some other farmers were also taken away by the insurgents.
The State Governor Babagana Zulum during the burial of the farmers on Sunday morning lamented that “it is disheartening that more than 40 citizens were slaughtered while they were working in their farmlands,” and also expressed condolence.
The governor later on Monday gave recommendations to the Federal Government on how to win the war against the terrorists. He noted that engaging mercenaries, as well as the immediate recruitment of youths into the military to boost its strength, will go a long way to defeat the insurgents.
President Muhammadu Buhari condoled with the victims and their families.
In a tweet on Monday, President Buhari said he has given a ‘marching order’ to the Nigerian Military to take the fight to the insurgents, not on a one-off, but on a continuous basis until “we root out the terrorists.”
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