In a rare departure from the usual solidarity with the executive, several Senators and House of Representatives members criticised the Federal Government for negotiating with bandits for the release of hostages.
The lawmakers demanded a halt to the negotiation and punishment for the official who ordered the withdrawal of troops from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, where 24 students were kidnapped on November 17.
The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, had said the security agencies decided not to engage the bandits because the victims were being used as a shield.
But senators and House members did not buy his argument.
Tension heightened when Senator Seriake Dickson warned that Nigeria was “losing prestige and integrity” due to constant attacks, accusing the majority caucus of massaging the issues rather than addressing them head-on.
His remarks triggered an uproar from APC senators, forcing the presiding officer to cut off his microphone.
As some lawmakers reiterated claims that security agencies were aware of the locations and motives of terrorists, Akpabio cautioned against turning the crisis into a sectarian narrative.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole rose in defence of President Tinubu, arguing that the administration was doing its best under severe pressure. He demanded an investigation into the troop withdrawal in Kebbi.
He also queried alleged inconsistencies in the justice system, noting that a convicted terrorist was sentenced to 20 years while someone who killed a bandit in self-defence was condemned to death.
Earlier on Tuesday, at a special session of the House of Representatives, lawmakers decried the rising insecurity and urged the Federal Government to urgently address the crisis.
In their statement signed under the banner, ‘House to the Rescue,’ the group of lawmakers condemned the Federal Government’s negotiations with the bandits.
Titled, ‘FG’s secret negotiations with bandits are a betrayal of the Nigerian people,’ the Rep members accused the government of choosing dialogue with criminal elements instead of apprehending them.
The PUNCH