After Kwara Massacre, Senate Vows To End Insurgency, Banditry

Senate President Godswill Akpabio gave the assurance yesterday in the Red Chamber, while responding to a point of Order raised by Senator Garba Maidoki, APC, Kebbi South.

The Kebbi senator had called on the Senate to mandate the federal government to provide weapons and ammunition to the military to enable them crush terrorists and bandits in the country.

The assertion comes on the heels of Boko Haram attack on a community in Kwara state on Wednesday. No fewer than 75 persons were brutally massacred when the insurgents laid siege on Kaima Local Government Area  in the state.

The incident had attracted global condemnations as the Nigerian government struggles to contain the activities of extremist groups in the country.

According to Akpabio, there are ongoing efforts by the government to end continued cases of armed banditry, insurgency, kidnapping and wanton destruction of property will before the end of the year.

The Senate has, therefore, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sustain the onslaught against perpetrators of violence in the country by providing necessary platforms and tools to the security agencies to stamp them out of the country.

Akpabio said the prayers of the lawmakers and other Nigerians, is that the problems of insecurity should come to an end quickly.

 “I want to thank you, Senator Maidoki, for your very strong stance and to say that we in the Senate are with you. We share the same opinion. We are of the opinion that this banditry should end. In fact, on January 1, my prayer to God, which I spread to the nation, was that the banditry and insurgency should end this year,” Akpabio said.

“By the grace of God, in 2026, we will not see our end, but rather, we shall see the end of 2026 and the end of banditry. That’s our prayer, so I understand the anger.

“But also note, there are a lot of things involved. They only go for soft targets. We cannot have military barracks in every village in Nigeria. The country is very vast. So they (bandits, terrorists) go for soft targets. And when they go, they cause massive damage. And by the time we move there, it becomes reactionary.”