Northern senators are calling for urgent action against state police as attacks by terrorist groups are increasing again in parts of the North.
Of late there have been killings in Plateau and Benue, while Adamawa and Sokoto were the most recent.
On Friday, the Northern Senators’ Forum, reacting to the fresh killings, called for the immediate establishment and operationalization of the state police.
READ ALSO: FG warns foreign missions not to avoid diplomatic channels
The lawmakers, in a statement signed by the forum’s Chairman, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua (Katsina-Central), urged the Federal Government to give prompt attention to the State Police Bill currently awaiting ratification, working with the State Governors and their Houses of Assembly.
They specifically urged the Presidential Task Force chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Honorable Femi Gbajabiamila, to complete its task by bringing the state police framework into practical implementation.
“Decentralized surveillance is essential to improve response time and intelligence gathering at the grassroots level.
“We cannot continue to lose innocent lives at the hands of insurgents while bureaucracy delays critical security reforms. Now is the time to act,” the senators said.
The forum prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and the speedy recovery of those injured in the attacks.
Lamenting the latest terrorist attacks in Adamawa and Sokoto communities, which claimed the lives of 36 people, the senators commiserated with the families of the victims.
They also urged state and local governments to invest in and strengthen community vigilante groups to serve as intelligence partners to the police and military.
“The Northern Senators Forum strongly condemns the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Gaya Community, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State and Ungushi Village, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, which have claimed the lives of over 36 Nigerians, including security personnel and innocent worshippers,” they said.
Reports indicate that in Adamawa, terrorists killed at least 25 people in twin raids in Kirchinga and Garaha, and another attack in Adamawa later claimed by the Islamic State affiliate left at least 29 people dead in Guyaku community.
The attacks were marked by heavy gunfire, burning houses and attacks on civilians gathered in public places, underscoring the continuing extent of Boko Haram/ISWAP-linked violence in northeastern Nigeria.
In Sokoto, terrorists recently attacked Tsamaye community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area, killing at least 21 people and kidnapping 37 others.
Villagers also fled in large numbers after the second assault on the same community in a week. Previous violence in the area had already claimed eight lives, including worshipers inside a mosque..
WATCH THE BEST VIDEOS FROM Newslodge TV