Insecurity: Things Are Getting From Bad To Worse – Rep

A file photo of a man carrying a gun.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Army, Honourable Abdulrazak Namdas has lamented the deteriorating state of insecurity in the country, saying things are getting worse.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Namdas lamented the inadequate personnel of the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies.

“I agree that things are getting from bad to worse but let us sit together and re-strategize and see how we can solve the problem,” he said.

Worried by the worsening security situation, the lower chamber had on March 17 set up a special committee to come up with solutions to the security challenges in the country.

The 40-man committee is being chaired by the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, and would comprise all the Principal Officers of the House and 30 other members.

But Namdas, who represents Jada/Ganye/MayoBelwa/Toungo Federal Constituency of Adamawa State, said the National Assembly is ready to cooperate with President Muhammadu Buhari in solving the myriads of security issues in Nigeria.

He added, “I think we have to change strategy and that is why in the House of Representatives, the fact that the Speaker has decided to make a 40-man Adhoc Special Committee headed by the Speaker himself means that there is also a political will,” he said.

“This political will is not just coming from the Presidency or one arm of government. The Speaker is the Number four person in Nigeria and he has realised that there is a problem and that is why we want to sit down and holistically look at where the problems are.”

Speaking further, the lawmaker blamed unemployment and poverty on the cases of insecurity in the country, asking the Federal Government to provide jobs at the local, state and federal levels.

He explained that the army is carrying out operations in 34 out of 36 states of the federation, asking the police should be empowered, given more training to handle the internal security threats in Nigeria.

Nigeria has been experiencing a series of security threats ranging from terrorism, banditry, militancy, cultism among others in several parts of the country.

The country has been battling terrorism for more than a decade which has killed 36,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in the northeast.

The Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) split from the jihadist group Boko Haram in 2016 and has since become a dominant threat in Nigeria, attacking troops and bases while killing and kidnapping passengers at bogus checkpoints.

On March 1, jihadist fighters burnt down a United Nations humanitarian compound in the town of Dikwa after dislodging troops, killing six civilians.

Nigeria’s jihadist violence has spread to neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the insurgents.