By Levinus Nwabughiogu

Abuja—The House of Representatives yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to save Nigerians by ending insecurity in the country.

The call came on the heels of a motion of urgent national importance moved at plenary by Abdullahi Salame from Sokoto State on the need to set up a national task force to address prevalent insecurity in Nigeria.

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Saleme had in the motion, called for the setting up of a National Task Force on national insecurity to tackle incessant cases of banditry, insurgency and kidnapping.

He also asked the National Task Force to ensure maximum synergy, collaboration and coordination among all relevant security intelligence and enforcement institutions in ensuring a holistic, all-out war against insecurity.

But in his contribution, the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, said it would amount to usurping the functions of the security agencies if a new task force is created to do their job.

He however said that the security agencies should be held responsible on matters of insecurity.

He said:  “We are trying to collapse agencies and today we are asking for special task force. Even if you want to achieve that it can’t come through motion, it has to come through bill. 

”The institutions of security are established either by the constitution and they have their respective role. I will remind colleagues that section three of the constitution is very clear. Any motion, bill that is inconsistent with the provision of the constitution to the extent of the inconsistency is null and void. 

”We cannot come and take away the powers of our security agencies as enshrined in our constitution through motion; it cannot work.”

Similarly,  Nkem Abonta (PDP, Abia), said that though the objective of the motion was commendable, it would be counterproductive however to create another security agency.

In his contribution, the chairman of the House Committee on AirForce, Shehu Koko (APC, Kebbi),  said that the country should utilize its security agencies rather than creating a new one.

“It is not the best for this country. This country has well established institutions saddled with the responsibility to do all the duties to secure this country.

“I would rather advise the sponsor that he should charge those who have the responsibility to do the work or ask Mr president  to call his people and he has been doing it day in day out. The issue of security in this place we have been discussing it. We don’t want a situation where we continue to discuss. It is not the best for this country to establish a task force”, he said.

Also speaking, Victor Mela, (APC, Gombe) called for utmost care in handling the motion.

He said:   “We are faced with this challenge and it is important that we strategize rather than making choice. This country has experts in security. Everything the motion carries, it has been carried before. Mr Speaker no implementation from the executive.

“There is nothing new in the motion from all that we have been talking about concerning the insecurity in this country. What is not there is the sacking of heads of these agencies.

“I think it is important the issues of insecurity be treated with utmost care and the suggestion from the motion it ought not to be because they know what to do and when to it, but unfortunately we are faced with this issue and we do not know when the problem is.

“It is high time Mr president  looked into his advisers, why do we keep having the occurrence of this insecurity. To say something about this motion, I would have loved the ranking member to have said to revamp the security architecture of this country. Not giving them what to or how to do it”, he said.

On his part, the deputy Minority Leader, Rep. Toby Okechukwu called for the deletion of all the earlier prayers of the motion to be replaced by an urgent call on President Buhari to step up measures to save Nigerians from insecurity.

“We cannot be talking about lack of synergy and we are still creating institutions that would further enhance the lack of synergy.

“I believe there are structures and institutions that have been created. It is for us to ask them to do their job. If you have to cut off a criminal phone network, the simple thing is to get to the Minister of Communications.

“There is usually, a theatre commander for any operation and the military can set it up with ease. My amendment is that all the prayers should be deleted and that this house calls on Mr President as Commander in Chief to do his job and save Nigeria from this malady”, he said.

The amendment was put to vote and adopted by majority.