The Nigerian Senate, Wednesday unanimously passed a motion directing the Inspector General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, and the Director General, Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately take measures to contain the killings in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The decision of the Senate followed a motion moved by the senator representing Enugu North district, Okey Ezea
Senator Ezea, while moving the motion, drew the attention of the upper legislative chamber to the recent carnage in Nimbo, a town in Uzo-Uwani LGA, where four persons were recently murdered by suspected Fulani herdsmen and urged his colleagues to condemn the dastardly act and take measures to forestall future occurrences.
He also called on the Senate to pass a resolution directing that the law enforcement agents be made to redouble efforts in apprehending the fleeing assailants, while the heads of the nation’s security agencies should be made to urgently establish both police and military presence in the local government.
Following the motion, the Senate unanimously resolved that the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff and the Director General of the Department of State Services to investigate, arrest and prosecute the criminal elements terrorising the local government;
The upper legislative chamber also urged security chiefs to establish police and military presence in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area as a way to put a permanent stop to the incessant killings;
It also mandated the Senate committees on Legislative Compliance, Police Affairs, and National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance with the resolution of the Senate and proffer other lasting solutions.
As a means of cushioning the effects of the killings on the people, the senate, in addition, urged the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the victims of the killings.
It will be recalled that Uzo-Uwani has lately been in the news over several killings in both Adani and Nimbo communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen. The killings, which evoked memories of a similar incident in 2016 when more than 46 persons were killed in the same community have continued unabated despite promises by the state and federal governments of lasting solutions to the problem.
There is currently growing tension in the local government and this has culminated in a fear of food shortages by many who depend on the fertile land in the area for their businesses and feeding
The prevailing fear is that if the crises are allowed to fester, many parts of the country, particularly the southeast will experience acute, food shortages as farmers are too afraid to go to their farms.
