Lawmakers Condemn Tinubu for Negotiating with Bandits
- Lawmakers openly rebuked President Tinubu’s handling of bandit attacks, rejecting negotiations and demanding accountability for troop withdrawal in Kebbi
- Tinubu had declared a nationwide security emergency as mass abductions across several states prompted widespread school closures
- Senators clashed over the Federal Government’s strategy, with several warning that the country was under attack and in urgent need of structural reforms
A rare revolt erupted in the National Assembly on Wednesday, November 26, as senators and House members openly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s approach to dealing with bandit groups behind a string of mass abductions.
Lawmakers rejected any form of negotiation with the attackers and demanded accountability for the troop withdrawal that preceded the kidnapping of 24 students in Kebbi State.
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Many legislators insisted the Federal Government’s tactics risked strengthening the criminals.
Their criticism broke from the usual alignment with the executive, creating a sharp divide at a time when the country is battling coordinated assaults across several states.
Tinubu declares security emergency
Earlier in the day, President Tinubu announced a nationwide security emergency. He directed the armed forces, police and intelligence agencies to expand recruitment and deploy thousands of new personnel to areas hit hardest by the attacks.
He also called on the National Assembly to begin the process of legalising state police.
The security crisis intensified after bandits raided St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State and abducted more than 300 pupils and 12 teachers.
The attack occurred only days after gunmen seized 24 students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi.
During the Kebbi assault, vice principal Hasan Makuku was killed and the principal was injured. Around 50 girls escaped, but many remain in captivity.
Source: Original
Escalating violence forces school closures
The attacks led several states to shut large numbers of schools. Kebbi, Bauchi, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau, Niger, Katsina and Kwara ordered closures. The Federal Government also shut 41 Federal Unity Colleges.
In Kwara, a gang stormed a church, killed two people and kidnapped 38 others. The victims were freed on Sunday. Students from the earlier school attacks regained their freedom on Tuesday.
The Presidency has defended its actions. Special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed claims that ransom was paid. He said the captors used victims as protection.
“They go about abducting our people, and they use them as a shield so they will not be attacked,” he said.
Chamber debates troop withdrawal and strategy
Senators disagreed. They said negotiations could embolden the criminals and deepen public fear. The Senate held a tense debate as lawmakers warned that the nation was “under attack” and in danger of losing public confidence.
A related motion earlier in the day commended the rescue of victims but also asked for a Joint Task Force in the Kwara–Kogi corridor.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin urged international support. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the moment required decisive reforms and asked the Senate to review its own security committee.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe demanded answers on who ordered the troop withdrawal in Kebbi, while Senate President Godswill Akpabio warned against portraying the crisis in religious terms and said the attacks targeted the entire nation.
Some lawmakers renewed calls for the death penalty for kidnappers.
I know whereabouts of bandits - Zamfara gov
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara state had declared that he has the capacity to end banditry in the state within two months if given direct control over security agencies.
He said he knew the precise locations of the bandits terrorising the states by kidnapping residents and killing indiscriminately and unjustifiably.
Governor Lawal, however, mentioned one thing that is stopping him from arresting the bandits despite knowing their location.
Source: Legit.ng
