By Yusuf Giwa
The Senate has identified terrorists’ enclaves in communities within three local government areas of Kwara and Niger States.
To this end, it has urged the Military to carry out a comprehensive onslaught of bandits and criminal elements within Kainji Lake National Park and the identified communities. The communities include Kaiama, Karonzi-Yashikira in Baruten local government, and Wawa and Babanna areas in Niger State.
These formed part of resolutions reached by the Senate Tuesday after it considered a motion on the “worsening insecurity in Kainji Lake National Park and existential threat to communities in Kaima, Baruten and Borgu Local Government in Kwara and Niger States.”
The motion was sponsored by Senator Sadiq Sulieman Umar (Kwara North), and Co-sponsored by the Deputy Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North).
In his presentation, Senator Umar noted that, “kidnapping and other forms of criminality are becoming a recurrent decimal in communities close to Kainji Lake National Park particularly Nanu. Nuku, Woro, Kale in Kaiama and Yashikira in Baruten local Government of Kwara State and some part of Borgu Local Government in Niger State.
“This has led to people living in perpetual fear of either being kidnapped and or killed by kidnappers suspected to be armed bandits;
“He further noted that Kainji Lake National Park covering an area of about 5,341km square with deep forest Vegetation, has been taken over bandits and other criminal elements.
“The Senator said the situation had overwhelmed park rangers as they have lost control of the park to terrorist.
He described the situation as worrisome.
The Senate, in its resolutions, mandated its Committees on Defence; Finance and National Planning to jointly inter-face with the Ministry of Defence to determine status of the establishment and funding of Army Barrack in Kaiama and Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Babanna in Kwara and Niger States, respectively.
It urged the military authorities to carry out a comprehensive onslaught on bandits and other criminal elements within Kainji Lake National Park, especially Kaiama, Karonzi -Yashikira in Baruten local government, and Wawa and Babanna areas in Niger state.
The chamber also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to send relief materials to victims in the affected communities
(Niche)
