.Says scale, frequency of the attacks have become intolerable, proposes $5bn funding support from reserves to tackle insecurity
*Demands release of El-Rufai
Adedayo Akinwale im Abuja
The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has called on President Bola Tinubu to take a decisive action to end the banditry and terrorism in northern Nigeria.
The caucus in a statement issued Thursday, and jointly signed by its Leader, Minority Caucus, Hon. Fredrick Agbedi and its Spokesperson, Hon. Afam Ogene expressed grave concern over the worsening security situation across Northern Nigeria.
To this end, it called on Tinubu to take immediate, decisive and comprehensive action to halt the bloodshed, restore public confidence and reclaim communities that have been overrun by terrorists, bandits and criminal gangs.
The caucus noted: “The scale and frequency of the attacks have become intolerable. Nigerians are being killed in their homes, on their farms, in their communities and even while observing prayers.
“Families are being separated, children are being abducted from schools and entire communities are being forced to abandon their ancestral homes.
“In Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, recent attacks have claimed more than 20 lives, with official reports putting one recent attack at least 23 fatalities.
“In Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, armed men recently attacked several communities and abducted worshippers during Friday prayers.”
The caucus emphasised that reports from residents and officials put the number of abducted persons at more than 60, with some reports indicating that many of those taken remain unaccounted for.
It recalled that in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the attack on Ungushi community resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people, including the Chief Imam, Imam Aliyu.
Also, in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State, it stressed that at least 30 people were killed in the attack on Naridon village.
The caucus emphasised that in Katsina State, reprisals by bandits continued to claim lives and deepen the atmosphere of fear and insecurity.
In Borno State, it added that families continued to live in anguish as children abducted from their schools remain missing months after their abduction.
It noted: “Nearly 100 days after children were taken from classrooms in Mussa, families were still protesting and demanding government action, while other students abducted in Lassa also remained missing.
“This is no longer a situation that can be addressed principally through statements of condemnation after every attack. Nigeria requires a sustained, coordinated and overwhelming security response.
“The Minority Caucus therefore calls on President Tinubu to apply, on a much larger scale, the decisive strategy that produced the rescue of the schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Those victims were eventually rescued after an intelligence-led operation targeting the kidnappers’ networks and hideouts.
“We are calling on the President to lock down the affected theatres of operation, dominate the territory and sweep the forests, hideouts and criminal enclaves where terrorists and bandits operate.”
The minority caucus was of the opinion that such an operation must be intelligence-led, professionally executed and sustained until the criminal elements are neutralised and the abducted citizens rescued.
The caucus clarified: “We are not asking the President to lock down innocent Nigerians. We are asking the Commander-in-Chief to lock down the operational space of terrorists and bandits, deny them freedom of movement, cut off their supply lines and communications and deploy overwhelming force against those who have turned parts of the North into killing fields and centres of mass abduction.
“The President must also lead from the front. Having visited Plateau State, President Tinubu should proceed to Zamfara State and travel all the way to Illela, engaging directly with communities that have borne the brunt of terrorism and banditry.
“Nigerians need to see their President physically present in the places where their fellow citizens are being killed and abducted. Leadership in a national emergency requires visibility, courage and direct engagement.”
The Minority Caucus further called on the federal government to provide whatever resources are necessary to prosecute this war.
“If funding is an issue, the government should draw $5 billion from the nation’s external reserves for an extraordinary national security intervention,” the caucus said.
It said the primary purpose of the government is the welfare and security of the people and no expenditure can be more fundamental than protecting the lives and livelihoods of Nigerian citizens.
The caucus noted that the recent increase in the salaries of members of the Armed Forces is an important step toward improving the welfare, morale and motivation of our soldiers, who are making enormous sacrifices in defence of the nation.
However, it said the President must ensure that this commendable decision does not suffer bureaucratic or legislative delays.
“We therefore urge him to immediately forward to the National Assembly the necessary amendment to the 2026 Appropriation Act and the required Supplementary Appropriation Bill to provide the legal and financial framework for the implementation of the salary increase,” it said.
The Minority Caucus added that it was ready to join other members of the National Assembly to reconvene immediately, if necessary, for this purpose, saying the welfare of our soldiers cannot be subjected to avoidable procedural delays when the nation is at war with terrorists and bandits.
The Caucus also demanded the immediate release of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, whose continued detention has increasingly assumed the character of a political persecution.
It said its concern was not merely about one individual, but it is about the credibility and consistency of the federal government’s anti-corruption campaign.
It added that the composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and the prominent roles occupied within that political structure by individuals who have themselves been the subject of serious corruption allegations and public controversy, has made a mockery of the government’s claim to be pursuing a principled and even-handed war against corruption.
It maintained: “It is difficult for the government to demand public confidence in its anti-corruption campaign when the political architecture through which the President seeks the mandate of Nigerians included individuals whose records and allegations have raised serious questions about the integrity of that campaign.
“Against this background, the continued detention of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai raises legitimate questions about whether the machinery of anti-corruption enforcement is being deployed consistently and without political considerations.
“We therefore regard Mallam Nasir El-Rufai as a political prisoner and demand his immediate release. The fight against corruption must be a fight against corruption, not a fight against political opponents.”