Senators were seething with anger yesterday over the odious killing of students in Mubi.
It was during the consideration of a motion of urgent national importance.
The lawmakers did not hide their
indignation, fury and anger over the abysmal failure of the government
to protect lives and protect.
While some of the lawmakers insisted
that the government should be made to wake up and be responsive to its
responsibilities, especially provision of security, others suggested
that a vote of no confidence should be passed on the government for its
inability to secure lives and property.
Senate President David Mark said the
government must do what is needful; fish out the perpetrators of the act
and punish them, according to the law of the land.
For Mark, when those responsible for the
heinous crime in Mubi are apprehended, they should be used to test the
law on capital punishment..
The mover of the motion, Senator Bindowo Mohammed Jibrilla (Adamawa North), said very few words.
Jibrilla simply said the death of innocent students “is unacceptable”.
The Senate, he said, should set up a plan that will ensure that perpetrators are brought to book.
Mark said: “That these students and people were killed did not happen as a result of their own fault.
“Every state government today has some responsibility towards providing security to those who live in that state.
“The Federal Government also has
responsibility. We all have responsibility including the local
governments. People are not killing in the United States because of
unemployment. People are not killing in Norway where a man went berserk
and killed so many holiday makers; people are not killing because of
unemployment or desertification or flooding.
“I think this is a very serious issue
and if we don’t tackle the real issue and we begin to go on diversionary
expeditions, then, we will be missing the point.
“The security challenges before us in this country are grievous, and we have to tackle them headlong.
“On the specific issue of these Mubi
killings, I think it is a pity that people will move from one room to
the other, calling names, dragging them out and killing them;
slaughtering them.
“This is totally unacceptable. Even if
it is just attacking the symptoms now, those involved must be arrested
and brought to book.
“I know that this is a democracy and, with due respect to all of us, capital punishment is still in our statute.
“This is an opportunity for us to test
it and use it as deterrence to others and that has to be done as fast
and as speedy as possible.
“It is not that crimes don’t take place
in other countries. They do. But it is the reaction of government. The
speed with which those who are involved are arrested, tried and punished
accordingly. But when they happen in this country, after a week, we
just try to forget it and wait for the next one to happen.
“I think we have gone beyond the time
for us to sing these songs of lamentation every now and again. We should
not be lamenting. I think we should be able to act.
“Government needs to act as quickly and
as fast as possible. Terrorists will succeed once they can stop
government from doing what government wants to do.
“Now Nigerians are being scared of
sending their children to polytechnics and universities because today it
is in Mubi, who knows where it is going to happen in the next town.
“How many policemen can you put in our various polytechnics and universities in this country?
“It is completely impossible. There is
no way. It does not matter how much you fund the security agencies. I
think there are very serious security challenges and we must address
them.”
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said: “It is a sad day for us as a country and I sympathise with the whole country.”
He said, “Let us imagine that we are the parents of those people killed.
“Some are the only child, some are the hopes of their families while others are investments.
“You can imagine the pains to these families.
“This is not an isolated case; it is everywhere in the Southeast. It is evil, uncalled for and totally condemnable.
“What happened in Mubi is a failure of
security. Whether it is robbery or Boko Haram, it is the inability of
security agents to secure the people. We are challenged as a country and
we need to live up to this challenge.”
Senator Bello Mohammed Tukur (Adamawa
Central) said what happened in Mubi should be a matter of serious
concern to every Nigerian.
Bello said nobody could say exactly what led to the mayhem.
The lawmaker said he was aware that people are leaving Mubi in large numbers moving towards Yola, the state capital.
He said some people claimed that a similar incident was happening in Gumbi, a town between Mubi and Yola.
“One cannot say exactly who they are but the security agents should be in a position to tell us,” Bello said, adding:
“About a month ago, there was increase in security agents in the area and they were engaged in house-to-house search.
“Mubi was closed down for three days, nobody was coming in or going out of the house.
“As a result, 156 people were arrested and brought to barracks in Yola.
“All these brought about a lot of
tension in Mubi town. Some of those arrested were not members of Boko
Haram; some are not natives. This is beginning to be worrisome. Every
day, the urban settlement is being affected. If care is not taken, it
may get to Yola and Jalingo and before we know it, the whole North may
be consumed. We have to quickly wage into this problem and see what the
Executive can do urgently to curtail the problem.”
Senator Mathew Nwagwu (Imo North) asked how long Nigerians would continue to watch helplessly while innocent people are killed.
He said: “When all the churches are burnt down, it will be mosques and when students are finished, it may be the Senate.
“Mr President should take more proactive
measures. It is unbecoming of Nigerians to take reprisal attacks. The
government should tell us if it is not able to handle the problem. The
Senate should condemn the killing and send a strong message to the
President to clear the issue. We are under siege and something should be
done fast.”
Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) said “even during the Abacha regime it was not like this.
“Everyone will notice that the rate of
unemployment and poverty is high and for me, the present administration
has not delivered the dividends of democracy to the people.
“For me, it is high time we declared a vote of no confidence on the President.”
Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North)
said: “If we were cut down in our youth, most of us would not have been
here. What happened in Mubi is the destruction of our future.
“My contribution is not so much to the
perpetrators of the crime but to speak the truth to those in authority.
Power is supposed to provide security of lives and property and this is
where the government has failed.
“We are all parents and we have children
in school locally and internationally. The question we should ask
ourselves is where is safe in Nigeria?
“Police barracks that are fortified have
been attacked. Emirs, churches and mosques have been attacked. People
have been attacked on the streets; now it is the turn of students who
represent the future of the country.
“Is Nigeria really standing or failing? Is the constitution standing or dying?
“We will soon rise to observe one minute
silence in honour of the victims, but, Mr. President, I don’t think
that is what we should be doing here.”
To Senator Barnabas Gemade ( Benue North
East), it looks like there is a programme to destabilise the economy of
these parts of the country.
He added: “While we talk about porous borders, it looks as if we have porous cities.
“If we cannot protect our borders,
security agents should be able to protect the cities and ensure they are
not as porous as borders.”
SOURCE: 4 October 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment