Senate Makes Demand Concerning Benue, Taraba Killings

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday expressed concerns over recent violent clash among youths in the border communities of Benue and Taraba States which has left many dead.

Concise News reports that the Senate, therefore, asked that security be beefed up in the two border states.

The decision was reached after Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South) citing Order 42 and 52, drew the attention of the Senate to the malaise.

The senators observed a minute silence in honour of those killed in the clash and also called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to the aid of the victims.

Furthermore, they call on the police authorities to hasten the completion of a Police Mobile Force barracks in the border towns of the two states.

Also, Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) cited Order 42 and spoke on the two people, a Briton and a Nigerian (Faye Mooney and Matthew Oguche), who were killed on the outskirts of Kaduna.

Speaking further, Sani says many others were taken hostage by the gunmen.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, states that the issue must be taken seriously because it has a diplomatic implication.

“This has a lot of diplomatic implication. We need to take this more seriously,” he says.

Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) agrees with Ekweremadu that something urgent must be done to end the killings being witnessed across the country.

“I rise to support the Deputy Senate President. We are representatives of the people. I think we need to go further than just bringing a motion here and observing a minute of silence. We need to do more; it is getting out of hand,” Ndume says.

Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, stresses the need to appreciate security agencies who left their comfort zones to improve the condition of the lives of others.

Saraki notes that many of them ended up losing their lives in the process.