Reps To Federal Govt: Comb Kaduna, Zamfara, Kano, Niger Forests For Abducted Students

Worried by the recent abduction of over 200 students and teachers of LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School in Kuriga Community of Chikun local government area of Kaduna State, the House of Representatives on Tuesday put the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) on its toes.

It mandated the ONSA to coordinate and galvanise all security and intelligence networks to develop and execute a proactive master plan to restore security with defined plans on coordinating with neighbouring countries; including boots on ground land and aerial sweep of locations that include but not limited to Kuyambana Forest in Zamfara, Kamuka Forest in Kaduna, Falgore Forest in Kano, Borgu and Zugurma Forests in Niger State.

The House also urged the ONSA to revisit and optimise fully the Acts passed for the National Counter Terrorism Centre as well as the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons , and ensure that they fully serve the purpose of their establishment.

It further called on the Federal Government to absolve the Military and Security establishment from the restrictive envelope budget system, allowing them to develop a robust budget that is based on need assessments that reflects security peculiarities and reality on ground.

These resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion urgent public importance on:”Need to Tackle the Abhorrent Abduction of Over 200 Students in Kuriga Community of Chikun And Secure Lives & Property in Kaduna State, moved by Hon. Ahmed Munir (APC, Kaduna) at plenary.

Moving the motion, Munir noted that on March 7, 2024, gunmen stormed Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School and Government Secondary School in Kuriga Community where over 200 students and teachers have been forcibly abducted and moved to the forest unchallenged.

He also noted that two months back, the ugly menace occurred in the same community where a school principal, Malam Abu Sufyan was killed days earlier while his abducted wife and baby were later rescued in a successful joint security operation on February 3, 2024.

According to the lawmaker, “On Friday 8th March 2024, gunmen attacked worshippers in a mosque at Angwar Makera, Kwasakwasa Community in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, with two persons declared dead.

This worrisome trend of violence is seeping in to other parts of the state affecting persons of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.

“Despite the N3.25 trillion allocated to the defense and security sector on drones and other military equipment that could have tracked, located and rescued victims represent 11.8 percent of the national budget in 2024, yet, there has been no respite as bulk of the actions by security personnel are reactionary rather than proactive.

 “The negative effect of the restrictive envelope system, that does not prioritize the actual needs assessment of the security sector when it comes to procurement, planning and recruitment of personnel.”

He observed that; “Kaduna State borders the North-Western states of Zamfara, Katsina and  Kano, borders the North-Eastern State of Bauchi and the North Central States of Plateau, Nasarawa, Abuja and Niger and therefore an isolated plan for just Kaduna alone will be ineffective without taking cognizant of border communities and even neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin Republic and the wider Sahel.”

Adopting the motion, the House mandated the Committee on Finance to investigate the utilization and effectiveness of the Safe School Initiative Fund and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.