Address Nigerians Within 48 Hours Over Killings, Reps Charges Buhari

The House of Representatives has given President Muhammadu Buhari a 48-hour ultimatum to address the nation over the spate of killings in the country.

This was part of the resolutions reached by lawmakers in the lower chamber when the matter came up during Thursday’s plenary.

They agreed that the President should address them and the nation regarding the attacks on communities in Benue, Zamfara, Kaduna, and other states where many people were killed and several others displaced.

Should the President failed to respond to the request, the lawmakers resolved to conclude with other Nigerians that he and his administration were incapable of permanently curtailing the incessant killing of innocent Nigerians and it would mean that the President has failed in his primary constitutional responsibility of ensuring the security and welfare of the citizens.

The House resolved to constitute an ad-hoc committee to interface with the Presidency regarding the request and also engage the Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, and service chief among others, in a public hearing to find permanent solutions to the killings.

They also faulted the alleged inability of the security agencies to stop what they termed “recurring death of scores of innocent Nigerians annually from systematic attacks by killer herdsmen and alleged bandits.”

The house claimed that there were “selective and ineffective” responses to the killing of Nigerians, especially when they occur in certain parts of the country.

They demanded to know the immediate measures the President was taking to provide the security agencies with the required resources to confront and dislodge the criminals from their hideouts.

They also called for the establishment of permanent security presence in immediate proximity to affected communities and the provision of a timeline within which the attacks would be curtailed.