THE Senate, on Wednesday, commenced consideration of a motion for a bill on anti-kidnapping law aimed at tackling the menace of kidnapping and other criminal acts across the country.
Therefore, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said the Senate would adopt a radical approach in tackling the rising spate of kidnapping and insecurity across the country.
Lawan, through a statement by his Special Assistant (Press), Ezrel Tabiowo, made the remark during the consideration of a motion brought to the floor by Senator Dino Melaye (Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kogi West).
He said, “The issue of kidnapping, banditry and other crimes affect all of us. I agree completely that we need to do something differently.
“You recall that before we went on recess, we agreed we need to go back to the report to review the architecture of security in Nigeria, which the 8th Senate set up, in addition to a public hearing on a way to ensure that we review the security architecture and structure of our agencies today.
“The way they are designed, we are not getting the best out of them; and we can’t go on like this. We will take it up with the executive arm of government, and also our Committee on Communications and the Federal Ministry of Communications.”
Lawan stated that the ministry has expressed its willingness to block the phone lines that have not been registered.
“The bandits and kidnappers use telephone lines to negotiate, so it means there will always be a lead to where or who they are.
“At the last count, I was told two million lines have been blocked. I think we should go far beyond that.
“And maybe we will need to be a bit radical. We need to give the security agencies some more funds but insist on accountability.”
Lawan, therefore, urged the security agencies to give an account of the utilisation of funds released to them.
“It is not enough to give them money; we must see how they utilise it. We must insist on that; and if we do that, we also insist that uniform people must not join the train because they are the ones that are supposed to protect us on highways.
“The military, the police, and other paramilitary agencies should allow ordinary people to use the train. Let them ply the roads because that would make other road users use the roads,” Lawan said.
