The Senate has expressed deep concern over the recent wave of killings in Benue State, emphasising the need for urgent and collaborative solutions to address the escalating insecurity.
The Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu while briefing newsmen on Tuesday, at the Senate on Tuesday, underscored the need for urgent, collaborative, and lasting solutions.
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 stressed that collaboration between federal, state, and security agencies, as well as local communities, was crucial to finding a lasting solution to the crisis.
He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s planned visit to Benue State was expected to add significant weight to ongoing peace and security efforts, demonstrating the government’s commitment to addressing the issue.
He also recalled that the Senate had called for a national security dialogue, which would serve as a platform to identify unknown problems and find solutions to the security challenges facing the nation.
“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.
Adaramodu also defended the Senate’s productivity, stating that they often exceed the constitutional requirement of 181 plenary days per year and work diligently beyond plenary sessions.
“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,” he said.
He reiterated that the Senate was determined to address the security challenges in Benue State and across Nigeria.
Adaramodu emphasised that the Senate has appropriated sufficient funds to support security agencies and expects tangible results.
The planned national security summit is seen as a critical step towards resolving Nigeria’s security challenges.
