Eight fighter jets have been deployed in Zamfara State to chase out bandits who have seized the state by the throat, it was learnt on Wednesday.
In fact, a primary school that served as a base for the bandits has been “shelled” by the Air Force, according to a source who pleaded not to be named because of the “security implication” of being identified.
The source also hinted of the measures taken to restore peace in Zamfara and Kaduna states.
The source said: “The roads linking Katsina to Zamfara State (Kauran Namoda-Zurmi-Jibiya road) has been retaken by troops and motorists have been plying the route again. The military and the police are after the bandits who have been fleeing into the bush.
“A landing platform has been created in Birni-Gwari where military jets can land, refuel and take off. So, they don’t have to go to Abuja and Kaduna to refuel for operations. Eight fighter jets have also been deployed in Zamfara State.”
President Muhammadu Buhari will today chair an “extraordinary” security meeting at the State House, Abuja, where he will be briefed by Service chiefs on the worrisome security situation in the land.
A Presidency source, who confirmed the meeting, said the security Chiefs will take turns to brief the President who just returned from a trip from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Comments on insecurity dominated proceedings, with senators taking turns to paint harrowing pictures of near breakdown of law and order in their constituencies.
Described as the general insecurity in the country, senators have suggested “immediate and uncommon” measures to prevent the country from slipping into a failed state.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said the Senate should join Nigerians and the media to show concern about Zamfara State.
The Enugu West senator also said that the country should no longer shy away from introducing state police.
According to him, state police will go a long way to nip in the bud most of the security challenges in states.
Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, who also supported the motion, insisted that the Senate should be practical in its approach to security issues because Nigerians were losing their lives.
Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South), who had earlier raised the issue of insecurity in his constituency, cautioned against living a pretentious life.
He lamented that “never in the history of this country have we faced this level of insecurity”.
Bwacha insisted that something uncommon must be done to save the situation.
He said: “Before the elections, some people were grandstanding. Now that the elections are over, can we now do the right thing? There is no doubt, everything seems not to be working; we must do something urgently.”
Senator Emmanuel Paulker said that the number of people killed in Zamfara State was more than the number of people killed by Boko Haram in Borno State.
Senator Shehu Sani said that the killings in Zamfara State had gone beyond the state to other neighbouring states.
Insisting that the Senate must agree that the country is at war, the Kaduna Central senator said that the reports from Zamfara were worse than the reports from Somalia and Afghanistan.
Sani recalled how he escaped being kidnapped on his way to Kaduna State, warning that what is going on in the country are symptoms of a failed state.
Senate Chief Whip Olusola Adeyeye identified the 1999 Constitution as the country’s problems.
The 1999 Constitution, he said, cannot give the country peace, progress and unity.
All the prayers in the motion were unanimously adopted.
Senate President Bukola Saraki said:
“From the contributions, we have had, I think it is key that we begin to look at the problem and look for long-term solutions. I think that what we did yesterday (Tuesday) in trying to strengthen the funding of the police and what we have before us, the Police Reform Bill, which would be laid today.
“The sooner that we can pass that will also help us in addressing the insecurity challenges.
“But more importantly is that we must go back to what a lot of us had been advocating here, that there is need for us to have state or community police. It is the way forward. Otherwise, we will continue to run into these problems.
“In the area of oversight, there is a lot also that we need to do to ensure that we hold the security agencies accountable. And we need to move very fast in this area.”
