BY Samuel Akpan
Idris Wase, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, says he receives reports of abduction in his constituency on a daily basis.
Wase, a legislator representing Wase federal constituency of Plateau state, spoke on the floor of the house at plenary on Wednesday.
He was contributing to a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Abdullahi Salame, a lawmaker from Sokoto state.
The motion was titled: ‘Need to Set Up a National Task Force to Address Prevalent National Insecurity in Nigeria’.
Wase, who spoke against the motion, said instead of establishing a new security apparatus, the heads of existing agencies should be held responsible for the insecurity in the country.
“We are trying to collapse agencies and today, we are asking for special task force. Even if you want to achieve that, it can’t come through motion; it has to come through a bill,” he said.
“The institutions of security are established either by the constitution and they have their respective roles. I will remind colleagues that section 3 of the constitution is very clear. Any motion or bill that is inconsistent with the provision of the constitution to the extent of the inconsistency is null and void.
“We cannot come and take away the powers of our security agencies as enshrined in our constitution through motion; it cannot work.
“Yes, I have the same concern with you (sponsor of the motion). I had just shared it with my leader. Virtually everyday in my constituency today, I have one kidnap report or the other — every day.”
THE MOTION
While moving his motion, Salame had said insecurity in Nigeria “has become too rampant and alarming, to the extent that no state is immune against the worrisome syndrome”.
According to the legislator, despite the “huge” funds spent to tackle insecurity, not much progress has been recorded, while the challenge is still “devastating and lingering with a high degree of uncertainties”.
“The consequences of national insecurity have consumed and continue to consume more lives of innocent Nigerians and security personnel in a large magnitude in the last decade,” he said.
“The numerous security, intelligence and enforcement agencies involved in the fight against national insecurity, especially kidnapping, banditry and insurgency, attain insignificant success due to absence of synergy among them and some critical stakeholders such as federal ministry of communications.”
Among his prayers in the motion, the legislator demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari direct security agencies to “ensure compliance with policy directives of the task force on any issue related to kidnapping, insurgency or banditry”.
Victor Mela, lawmaker from Gombe, said the country should strategise rather than set up a national task force.
He said there is nothing new in the motion because previous motions have proffered solutions to tackling insecurity but they have not been implemented by the executive.
On his part, Toby Okechukwu, deputy minority leader, said the existing security institutions have failed, which is why the sponsor brought the motion.
He, however, noted that there are agencies that were created to tackle insecurity and they should be asked to do their jobs.
Okechukwu proposed an amendment to the motion — that the house should call on Buhari “to do his job and take every measure to save Nigerians from the precarious security situation”.
The motion was unanimously adopted as amended when it was put to a voice vote by Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house.
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