Senate Summons Buhari Over Killings In Benue, Other States

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The Senate has summoned President Muhammadu Buhari to appear before it over the repeated killings in Benue and other parts of the country.

The resolution followed a deliberation of a motion on “Continued Killings in Benue State” sponsored by the lawmaker representing Benue North West, Senator George Akume.

READ ALSO: Suspected Herdsmen Kill 19 In Benue Church

The motion was extensively debated on Thursday in Abuja by the lawmakers who concurred with an earlier summon of the President by the House of Representatives on the same issue.

The killings in the country have become worrisome to state governments and their people, with Benue being the worst hit following the death of no fewer than 35 people since the beginning of the week.

Two priests and 17 other worshippers were killed in Gwer East Local Government Area on Tuesday, while 16 others were killed in separate attacks on Ali Agundu and Tsav council wards of Guma LGA, barely 24 hours later.

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Lawmakers at the Upper Chamber, however, asked President Buhari to address a joint session of the National Assembly, suggesting measures by the Presidency to curb the alarming rate of insecurity in the country.

Members of the Senate further condemned the recent killings in strong terms, with Senator Mao Ohuabunwa stressing the need to declare a state of emergency in the affected states to enable the military to go in and put an end to the killings.

Senator Gbolahan Dada, on his part informed the Red Chamber that more than 2,000 Nigerians have lost their lives in the attacks. He then requested the Senate to visit the states affected with Benue as the first.

Another senator, Barau Jibrin, decried that the security agencies are not doing enough to put an end to the killings which he said were aimed at destabilising the country.

“This is the time to look into the killings in so many states. This shows that our security agencies need to work very hard to put an end to the killings,” Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso said, while Senator Adamu Aliero was worried that the killing of the Catholic priests might cause a religious crisis in the country.

Other lawmakers want the military to be sent to Benue and find the killers, while Senator Adamu Aliero told the Senate to take appropriate action and not just pass motions.