The Niger State House of Assembly has issued a stern warning that it will suspend all legislative activities if the federal and state governments fail to urgently address the escalating banditry and terrorism that have placed the state “under siege”.
Lawmakers made the threat on Wednesday during a heated plenary session, citing the recent abduction of students from St. Mary’s Catholic Missionary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, as the latest proof that the security situation has spiralled out of control.Speaker Rt. Hon.
Abdulmalik Sarkindaji told the House: “If schools and markets can be shut down because of insecurity, then shutting down legislative business is also justified until the situation improves.”
He revealed that over 50 communities, including his own ward in Mariga constituency, have been completely displaced, with farmers abandoning their lands and now begging for food.
“The state is now in the eyes of the world for the wrong reasons. Investors are pulling out and contractors have deserted road project sites,” Sarkindaji lamented.
The motion of urgent public importance was moved by Hon. Mohammed Nura Agwara (Agwara constituency), who described Friday’s abduction of the Catholic school students as “tragic and worrisome”.
Lawmakers unanimously condemned the attack and adopted a four-point resolution that:
Urges the federal government to mobilise all resources for the immediate rescue of the abducted students
Demands the deployment of troops to known bandit routes across the state
Calls for blocking of escape corridors used by kidnappers, especially those leading to Zamfara State
Pledges to work with Niger federal lawmakers to table the resolutions before the National Assembly
Sarkindaji criticised the slow response despite repeated appeals by Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago, noting that security agencies are fully aware of the specific routes used by the criminals yet no decisive action has been taken.
“We represent the people, and we can no longer stay silent while our people suffer. Immediate action is essential, or we will have no choice but to halt legislative operations,” the Speaker declared.
The threat from the Niger Assembly comes just days after dozens of students were seized in the latest school attack, underscoring the deepening insecurity crisis in northern Nigeria.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com