The member of the House of Representatives representing President Muhammadu Buhari’s constituency, Hon. Fatuhu Muhammad has warned that Nigeria is heading down the path of war torn countries like Syria and Libya.
Fatuhu who represents Daura/Mai’adua/Sandamu Federal Constituency in Katsina state, made this known during plenary on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, observed by NewsWireNGR.
He lamented that the long stay of the service chiefs who were appointed in July 2015, is affecting the morale of young soldiers, while urging the house committee on National Security to invite them in to explain what is going on in the country.
“Everyday is a new story, we have the mandate from the constitution just like the judiciary and the executive, we have our own role.
“There are so much loopholes that we need to look into.
“If you look at the current serving chiefs, they’re the seven set to be retired.
“People are complaining, the morale of the young soldiers is very low. I wonder what the committee on security and intelligence is doing. It needs to call the service chiefs and ask them what is happening.
“Look at what happened today in Katsina and Maiduguri. That is how Syria started, that is how Libya started, and we are keeping quiet.
“We have to act, we have responsibility on our shoulders.
“We cannot continue to give excuses. How many are the bandits? They are not more than 500.
“Look at the budget, 50% is going to security.” Fatuhu queried.
Before Hon. Fatuhu made his submission, another lawmaker whom NewsWireNGR could not identify from the video of the plenary posted online had suggested that the constitution be amended to allow Nigerians carry sophisticated arms to defend themselves from terrorists.
“It is high time we amend the constitution so that citizens cab bear sophisticated arms in a view to defending themselves in similar circumstances.” he said.
Referring to the attack on Faduma Koloram, in the Gubio district of Borno state, where the terrorists group killed 69 persons and razed down the village, the lawmaker noted that any government that cannot protect the lives and properties of its citizens should not “exist a minute more than absolutely necessary”.
“The villagers were ready to defend themselves and in the process they succeeded in killing about three boko haram peopole.
“The boko haram came back with sophisticated weapons and wiped out the entire village.
“It is high time for the Nigerian government to close everything that it is doing and face the issue of security squarely.
“The issue of security if of primacy to governance, any government that cannot protect the lives and properties of its citizens ab initio, that government is not supposed to exist a minute more than absolutely necessary.” the lawmaker said.
NewsWireNGR contacted Kunle Somoye, the Special Assistant to the Speaker of the House to help identify the lawmaker who made this remark.
At the time of filing this report, he had not gotten back to this newspaper with the information.
On Monday, June 8, 2020, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, addressing the press after a meeting with President Buhari said the country was recording “tremenduos successes” in the fight against the terrorist.
“The troops are putting in their best and that has resulted in the tremendous successes we are recording. The fight is still ongoing and over 1429 of this Boko Haram terrorists have been neutralised and we have arrested over 166 Boko Haram terrorists informants, their spies, couriers on logistics and their coordinators in the villages, the towns and even the forest.” Buratai said at the time.
He went on to hail the moral of the troops which he described as “very high”.
“Surely you will agree with me that the troops’ morale is very high; it is something of trust, something of confidence, and something that will raise the spirit of any officer or soldier when he sees his Chief of Army Staff in the trenches along with him.
“This has raised the morale of the troops and has also made them to put in their best and that is what has resulted in us doing so well. and it’s still ongoing.” the army chief said.
