The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, said the National Assembly may be shut to help President Muhammadu Buhari administration find an end to the spate of killings by herdsmen and militias across the country.

The upper chamber of the National Assembly also noted that the campaign by the Federal Government for more foreign direct investments in the country would fail if the spate of insecurity persisted.

Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary on Tuesday, spoke while ruling on a motion moved by Senator Suleiman Adokwe (Nasarawa-South) over the continued killings in his senatorial district.

Making reference to the recent call by a former Chief of Army Staff and ex-Minister of Defence, Lt-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), that Nigerians should defend themselves against killers, the lawmaker said the call was right.

Several senators who spoke on the killings decried that Buhari, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, had not done enough to end the attacks. Some of them also accused the security agencies of negligence and bias.

After the debate on the motion, which lasted about one hour, Ekweremadu stated that there was the need for the legislature to do more in seeking an end to the killings.

He pointed out that the National Assembly could not exist without the people who the members are representing. He also said there would be no election if the electorate had been killed.

The Deputy Senate President said the chamber deliberately gave the matter the attention and priority it deserved through the debate.

He said, “As we have pointed out, the primary purpose of government anywhere in the world is the preservation of the lives of citizens.”

The Deputy Senate President pointed out that such trends would not have lasted in a country like South Africa. He said Nigeria should seek help from other countries if it had been overwhelmed by the security challenge.

He said, “I ask myself: assuming this is happening in America, in the United Kingdom or France, will it take all this time to be resolved? Not even in South Africa. But it appears that we are taking too many things for granted. The time has come for us to seek help from other countries. We should not be ashamed to ask for help.”

In his contribution, Senator Barnabas Gemade backed Danjuma on his self-help call, alleging that there was an ongoing cleansing of his ethnic group, Tiv.

20 herdsmen attack Benue community, army kills four

No fewer than 20 armed herdsmen attacked Teguma village, in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, during which they exchanged gunfire with troops of the Nigerian Army.

No fewer than four herdsmen were killed in the incident.

Report says that the herdsmen attacked the village late on Monday before the troops from 72 Special Forces Battalion on an operation in the Yogbo area mobilised to the scene to salvage the situation.

According to the army, the troops recovered four AK-47 rifles, five 7.62mm rounds of ammunition and 28 rounds of 7.62 police special ammunition from the herdsmen.

Others were said to have fled into the bushes during the gun battle.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Texas Chukwu, who confirmed the incident on Tuesday, said the troops would continue to rid the country of “the enemies of the state.”

Also, the Nigerian Air Force said its attack helicopters had destroyed some Boko Haram terrorists’ vehicles at a location in Arege, in the Lake Chad region.

The NAF said the Mi-35M helicopter gunships were deployed to destroy the Boko Haram gun truck with its occupants.

The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice-Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, confirmed the strike on Tuesday, noting that the Battle Damage Assessment revealed that several terrorists were killed in the air strike.

Fulani militias kill village head

Some Fulani herdsmen on Tuesday unleashed mayhem on Chembe settlement in Ukemberagya/Tswarev ward of Gaambe-Tiev, in the Logo LGA of Benue State, killing a village head, Chief Iyongovihi Ninge.

An eyewitness, Chief Joseph Anawah, told our one of our correspondents that the attackers came with herds of cattle, plundering germinating yam seeds in farmlands.

He said that the marauder opened fire on the deceased who was clearing his farm in readiness for cultivation.

Anawah further disclosed that the Chembe community and adjourning areas had been deserted while the herdsmen freely graze their cattle on farmlands.

When contacted, the Logo council Chairman, Mr. Richard Nyajo, confirmed that he had received a report that the Chembe Village head was killed.

Yanjo said he had notified security personnel about the attack, adding that they had moved to the community to repel the attackers.

The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, however, said he had yet to receive any report of the attack.