By Uche Mbah
The Presidency has frowned at the Senate’s attempt to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Service Chiefs over the level of insecurity in the country, insisting that the President will do what is right for the country, emphasising that the power to hire and fire Service Chiefs reside only with the President.
In recent times, the insecurity in the country has worsened. Killings have increased and there appears to be no hope of respite. There are reports of disillusionment within the rank and file of the army, a situation that apparently necessitated the intervention of the senate, which Tuesday passed a resolution that the Service Chiefs step aside from their duties to allow fresh ideas to be injected in the fight against insurgency.
Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno) had raised a point of order suggesting that the Service Chiefs should step down after raising concerns about various reports indicating the rising number of casualties in the army against insurgency. The point of order was raised during plenary and was titled: “The Rising Casualties among the Nigerian Army and other Security Agencies.” under orders 42 and 52. Ndume raised concerns over the various reports on the number of casualties among the Nigerian Army and other security agencies.
“Just recently 24 soldiers were ambushed and killed along Damboa-Maiduguri road in Borno; 19 were wounded and nine were declared missing in action.
‘The Senate is disturbed that in Katsina again about 20 soldiers were also ambushed and killed while several others were wounded.
“The number of civilian casualty is not known”, he said. He also expressed concern over the reported resignation of over 200 soldiers.
But reacting to the resolution, the presidency insisted that the senate overstepped its bounds in passing such a resolution.
In a statement released in Abuja, the Presidency said: “The Presidency notes today’s Senate resolution and reiterates that appointment or sack of Service Chiefs is a Presidential prerogative.
“President Buhari, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, will do what is in the best interest of the country at all times,”
There have been clamours, especially in the social media that the Service Chiefs should be sacked, but the Presidency always ignored such calls.
