The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take immediate and decisive action to end the worsening wave of terrorism, banditry, killings and kidnappings across Northern Nigeria….
The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take immediate and decisive action to end the worsening wave of terrorism, banditry, killings and kidnappings across Northern Nigeria.
The caucus also proposed that the Federal Government draw $5 billion from the country’s external reserves to fund an extraordinary security intervention if inadequate funding is hampering operations.
In a statement signed by the Minority Leader, Hon. Fredrick Agbedi, and the Minority Caucus spokesperson, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, on Thursday, the lawmakers said the scale of attacks and displacement had become intolerable.
They cited recent attacks in Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna and Katsina states, where scores of residents were reportedly killed or abducted.
The caucus said more than 20 people were killed in recent attacks in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, while more than 60 worshippers were reportedly abducted during Friday prayers in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
It also cited the reported killing of at least 40 people, including the Chief Imam, Imam Aliyu, in Ungushi community, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and the death of at least 30 people in Naridon village, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The lawmakers expressed concern over continued attacks and reprisals in Katsina, as well as schoolchildren in Borno State who have remained missing months after their abduction.
“This is no longer a situation that can be addressed principally through statements of condemnation after every attack,” the caucus said, calling for an intelligence-led and sustained security response.
It urged the President to replicate on a larger scale the strategy used in the rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The lawmakers called for affected areas to be subjected to intensive security operations, with security forces mandated to dominate the territory and conduct sustained operations against terrorist and bandit hideouts, forests and criminal enclaves.
“We are not asking the President to lock down innocent Nigerians. We are asking the Commander-in-Chief to lock down the operational space of terrorists and bandits, deny them freedom of movement, cut off their supply lines and communications and deploy overwhelming force against those who have turned parts of the North into killing fields and centres of mass abduction,” they said.
The caucus also urged Tinubu to visit Zamfara State and Illela to engage directly with communities affected by insecurity, saying Nigerians needed to see the President physically present in areas suffering from attacks and abductions.
On funding, the lawmakers said the government should consider drawing $5 billion from external reserves for an extraordinary national security intervention.
“If funding is an issue, the government should draw $5 billion from the nation’s external reserves for an extraordinary national security intervention,” they said, arguing that protecting citizens was the primary responsibility of government.
The caucus welcomed the recent increase in the salaries of members of the Armed Forces but urged the President to immediately forward the necessary amendment to the 2026 Appropriation Act and a Supplementary Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly.
It said the National Assembly should be ready to reconvene, if necessary, to ensure that the salary increase was implemented without bureaucratic delays.
The Minority Caucus also called for the immediate release of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing his detention as increasingly resembling “political persecution”.
The lawmakers said the issue went beyond the former governor, arguing that the government’s anti-corruption campaign had been weakened by the involvement of individuals facing corruption allegations in the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
“Our concern is not merely about one individual. It is about the credibility and consistency of the Federal Government’s anti-corruption campaign,” the caucus said.
The lawmakers said Nigerians needed decisive action rather than condolences, urging Tinubu to deploy his constitutional authority and the country’s security resources to protect citizens.
“The bloodshed in Northern Nigeria must stop. The abducted must be rescued. The terrorists and bandits must be defeated,” the caucus said.
