The Nigerian Senate has called for decisive steps to be taken to end the killings and other violence ravaging communities in Benue State.
This is as the lawmakers condemned the renewed wave of killings in the state.
The position of the Senate was made known on Tuesday in a briefing by their spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, who called for urgent, collaborative, and lasting solutions to the Benue situation.
According to him, the Senate, in partnership with the executive, will be visiting the affected communities with a delegation of senators to commiserate with victims and engage with critical stakeholders on the ground.
He said, “We are tired of paying condolence visits. We must put a stop to the killings. That’s why collaboration from everyone, federal, state, security agencies, and most importantly, the locals is essential to find a lasting solution.”
Adaramodu declared the Senate’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s planned visit to Benue State on Wednesday, stating that the President’s presence would lend significant weight to ongoing peace and security efforts.
“With the visit of Mr. President tomorrow, it will make great mileage,” he added.
Security Summit
News360 Info reports Adaramodu stated that the current happenings in Benue and other states justify the earlier call by the lawmakers for a national security dialogue, reiterating that the forthcoming security summit is a direct response to that call and a critical step toward resolving Nigeria’s security challenges.
“When we hold the security summit, if there is any problem that is unknown, we will then know it.
“We have done enough appropriation that can aid the performance of the security agencies. Nobody can say that the engagements we have had have not yielded results,” he said.
Senators Are Hardworking
The Senate spokesperson stated that, contrary to the belief in some quarters regarding the Senate’s sitting schedule, lawmakers often exceed the constitutional requirement of 181 plenary days per year.
The lawmaker said, “There are months we don’t take any holiday at all, aside from statutory holidays observed globally. Out of 365 days in a year, we sit for more than the mandated plenary days.”
