UPDATE: Senate asks Buhari to sack Service Chiefs

The Senate, on Tuesday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the nation’s Service Chiefs.

Individual lawmakers noted that the removal of the Service Chiefs became compelling against the background of failure to stem the wave of banditry and the growing insurgency.

Those that may be affected by the Senate resolution, if President Buhari assented to the call were Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Marshal Ibok- Ete Ibas.

The resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume.

Coming under Order 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules, Senator Ndume, who incidentally is the Chairman Senate Committee on Army, noted with concern in his motion, “Rising Number of Casualties among the Nigerian Army and other security agencies,” the various reports of casualties among the Nigerian Army and other security agencies.

Senator Ndume recalled recent incidents of death of 24 soldiers who were ambushed and killed along Damboa- Maiduguri in Borno state.

In Katsina State, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, 20 soldiers were also ambushed and killed while several others were wounded.

Senator Ndume declared that ” if the trend continues, it will have serious implication on the fight against insurgency, banditry in the country.”

Senator representing Plateau North, Istifanus Gyang said media reports of mass resignation and desertion by soldiers were worrisome.

He said: “This motion is very disturbing as it brings out the very unsavoury and gory details on disturbing developments from the front lines by soldiers fighting insurgency and banditry across states of the nation particularly in the north.

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“The reports of repeated loss of lives of soldiers and desertions is the order of the day. And the latest development that is novel and unprecedented is the resignation of over 200 soldiers. This shows the level of disaffection and disenchantment. This calls for an urgent scrutiny by the Senate of not only the strategic, the tactical and operational details of operation by the Armed Forces.”

Leader of the Senate, Yahaya Abdullahi, recalled several efforts by the National Assembly to complement the Executive in addressing the scary security situation in the country but expressed regret that reports submitted by parliament were never implemented.

“This Senate will not keep quiet to the importance of this issue. And whenever challenges of the nature that have occurred as narrated by Senator Ali Ndume we should come out very clearly to show our disgust and at the same time commend those operating as security forces who lay their lives so that we can survive to be free.

“We all know that this Senate has done on so many occasions brought this issue of security of lives and property in this country on the floor of this Senate at various interactions that we have arranged with security forces and security institutions and at every point when any amount of engagement is done between the leadership of the NASS and particularly the leadership of this Senate with the president of the federal republic. We have gone ahead over the years to establish so many committees whose reports we have endorsed in this chamber and submitted to the executive for action.

“I’m quite aware over the years, a lot of these reports have been there and they have been lying, and sometimes unimplemented. And this has been the bane of a lot of the work that had been done in the security sector.

“I do believe Mr President we should not relent. The issue that now faces us is that the readiness of our armed forces to really confront these challenges is now under a lot of pressure and this pressure is reflected in the amount and number of soldiers we are losing due to ambush by terrorists and bandits.

“This particular issue needs to be tackled. It means our security forces will have to reorganise their deployment, they have to employ new tactics in this fight.”

Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East, moved the additional prayer, asking for the sack of the Service Chiefs.

“The additional prayer is that the present crop of Service Chiefs should step aside for the new ideas to come in so as not jeopardise security system.”

His motion was seconded by Senator representing Rivers East, Betty Apiafi.

The Senate observed a minute silence in honour of the fallen heroes. It equally urged the Federal Government to urgently intensify the provision of modern equipment, to enhance the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces and mandated the joint Committees of Army, Air Force, Navy, National Security, Nigeria Police and the Ministry of Interior to receive a briefing on the state of affairs of the services in this regard.

President of the Senate, in his closing remarks, restated his position that the Service Chiefs were not doing enough as attested to by President Buhari.

He also mandated the relevant Senate Committees to investigate the circumstances surrounding the resignation of over 200 soldiers and the recent desertion of war front by some of them.

“The spirit of this motion is that our armed forces are trying very hard, but just like the President said, their good is not good enough.

“We need to continue to encourage and provide for them. They lay their lives on behalf of us, and of course, it is very sad that some of them are alleged to have deserted the war front.

“We need to get to the bottom of this. Our joint committee should be able to find out the facts about this allegation of over 200 deserting the war front.”

Speaking with newsmen separately shortly after the Senate plenary, the duo of Senators Ndume and Ajibola Bashiru, Chairman Senate Committees on Army and Media, Public Affairs, respectively said the Senate resolutions were merely advisory, not binding on President Buhari.

Senator Bashiru said: “In relation to the question of the Service Chiefs, both the Executive and the Executive are right. Going by the provisions of the Constitution, we should be bothered by the security situation. Yes, our resolution is advisory as it shows our concern for security, it isn’t legally binding but a moral suasion.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE