Banditry: Service Chiefs must demonstrate seriousness to defeat criminals – Senator Uba Sani

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

The Senator representing Kaduna Central zone, Uba Sani has charged the Service Chiefs to rise up to the occasion with all seriousness to defeat bandits and other criminal elements to save the country from daily bloodletting.

Senator Sani said the National Assembly is committed to giving the new Service Chiefs more equipments and personnel to carry out their responsibilities.

The lawmaker in a statement on Friday, while condemning the killing of three students out of the several abducted victims of Greenfield University in Kaduna, said the Service Chiefs must rally their forces and courageously confront the non – state actors who have resorted to carrying out evil plots against soft targets.

“I am deeply saddened by the news of the senseless killing of three students of Greenfield University by kidnappers. This is heartbreaking. It is an outrage and a clear affront on our nation.

“This is the time for the new Service Chiefs to demonstrate their seriousness in confronting and defeating criminal elements levying war against our country and laying siege to our communities.

“The National Assembly is committed to giving the new Service Chiefs more equipment and personnel to carry out their responsibilities. In the interim, they must rally their forces and courageously confront these non – state actors who have resorted to carrying out their evil plots against soft targets. Their aim is to drive fear into Nigerians.

“It has become crystal clear that there is a grand design to destroy education in Nigeria. What is happening goes beyond picking up students for economic gain. A message is being sent, in a very violent way, that going to school is a “passport to death.” We must not allow this message to gain ground. We must confront it with all the energy we can muster. If our educational system is destroyed, the future of our country will definitely be bleak. The global economy is knowledge driven. We must not allow some demented elements to take our country 50 years back.

“I urge the Federal Ministry of Finance to finalize the “National Framework for Safe Schools” which was agreed on by stakeholders at the High Level Forum on “Financing Safe Schools: Creating Safe Learning Communities” held on Tuesday, 20th April, 2021 at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. We must commence the implementation of the framework of action without delay. We must make all our schools safe and conducive for learning.

“My condolences to the parents and relations of the murdered students and the government and people of Kaduna State. We must resolve to say never again to kidnappers, bandits, insurgents, armed robbers and terrorists in our midst.

“It is time for total and sustained community action to root out criminal elements in our midst. We must provide intelligence information to security agencies and take action against community members seen to be conniving with criminal elements”. The statement said.