Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has described the killings in Zamfara State as barbaric, unacceptable and called on the security agencies to swiftly devise a new strategy to put an end to the ugly situation.
Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, decried that the killings have gone on for too long.
He said that the situation had not been given the desired attention as well as the right strategy that will stop it
“There is need for certain and proper profiling of the situation so that we can know whether it is simple cattle rustling, vicious armed robbery on a large scale, religious cum ethnic crisis or invasion by foreign forces.
“Our security agencies must immediately come out with a proper understanding of the situation, the right strategy and deployment of the necessary troops to tackle the menace.
“We must within the next few days send the right signals to the criminals in that area that the Nigerian State will no longer tolerate the on-going blood-letting.
“We must immediately change our strategy. Also, the President has to take full, direct control. May be the President must widen the consultation within the armed forces on the search for solution to this problem.
He must go beyond the first line military top brass. We need to get ideas from more sources than we presently do,” he said.
Saraki berated the media for the giving the situation in Zamfara as much attention as it deserved, adding that non-governmental organisations were also not doing enough.
He said that the Senate on its part had sent an investigative team into the area a few months ago after Senator Kabiru Marafa raised a motion on the floor and as at then, we called on other security agencies to help the police in dealing with the matter.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately give a marching order to the various security agencies and tell them to give him progress report on a regular basis.
“There is need for us to use the Zamfara case to demonstrate to all criminal elements that the government will not tolerate those who hide under whatever guise to shed human blood in our country.
“We should look at the Zamfara killings as a major threat to our democracy, particularly as we move towards election period in the next 50 days. We should not allow criminal elements to take over parts of the country.
“The situation in that state is an example of why we need to overhaul our security architecture in order to bring them to a state where they can tackle emerging challenges”, the Senate President stated.