The Senate on Thursday took a major step toward strengthening Nigeria’s legal framework against violent crime as lawmakers passed the first reading of a bill seeking amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, comes barely a day after an intense debate on national security, during which senators pushed for kidnapping to be legally classified as an act of terrorism punishable by death.
The amendment bill marks the beginning of a process that could introduce some of the toughest penalties yet for abduction-related offences amid rising insecurity nationwide.
In the same plenary, the Senate constituted an 18-member ad hoc committee to investigate the implementation of the Safe School Initiative, a programme launched years ago to protect learning environments from armed attacks.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu was appointed chairman of the committee, with lawmakers such as Tony Nwoye, Yemi Adaramodu, Harry Ipalibo, Ede Dafinone, Mustapha Saliu, Diket Plang, Binus Yaroe, Kaka Shehu, and Musa Garba Maidoki among the members.
The panel’s formation follows growing concerns among senators over the state of security in schools, especially given recent deadly attacks that have raised questions about how funds allocated to the initiative have been used.
The lawmakers cited the recent assault on Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where gunmen killed a vice principal and abducted 25 students.
The incident intensified calls for accountability and prompted additional motions supported by Senator Adams Oshiomhole.
The committee is expected to submit its report within four weeks.
The Senate’s moves come against the backdrop of a series of violent incidents in different regions of the country.
Last week, armed men stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, kidnapping more than 300 schoolchildren and teachers.
Fresh abductions and attacks have also been recorded in Kwara, Kano, and Borno states, underscoring what lawmakers described as a deteriorating security climate.
On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency and directed a major recruitment drive for the armed forces and the police.
He authorised the use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as training bases to fast-track deployment into crisis zones.
Tinubu also ordered police officers withdrawn from VIP protection duties to undergo accelerated retraining so they can be redeployed to frontline areas.
In addition, he instructed the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately send out forest guards trained to track and dislodge bandits and terror groups hiding in Nigeria’s vast forests.
The President’s directives and the Senate’s legislative moves signal a coordinated push by the executive and the legislature to confront the escalating wave of insecurity.
