In a decisive response to the escalating wave of kidnappings and violent attacks plaguing the nation, Nigeria's Senate has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to approve the urgent enlistment of at least 100,000 additional personnel into the Armed Forces.
The resolution, adopted unanimously during a heated plenary session on Tuesday, aims to fortify the country's security apparatus amid a surge in banditry and insurgency, particularly in the northwest and northeast regions.
The push for massive recruitment came in the wake of a harrowing incident on Monday morning, when armed gunmen stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The attackers, believed to be bandits, invaded the school's hostels around 4:00 a.m., abducting 25 female students and fatally shooting the institution's vice principal in a brazen assault that has left the community reeling.
Sponsored by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (APC, Kebbi North), the motion of urgent national importance painted a grim picture of the nation's security challenges.
"The recurring abductions of innocent schoolchildren and the brutal killing of our brave security personnel cannot continue unchecked," Senator Yahaya declared, evoking memories of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping that saw over 200 girls seized by Boko Haram insurgents.
The Senate's resolution not only demands the troop surge but also mandates the formation of an ad hoc committee to scrutinize the funding, expenditures, and overall effectiveness of the Safe School Initiative, a federal program designed to protect educational institutions from such threats.
The upper chamber's deliberations extended beyond the Kebbi tragedy, with lawmakers expressing profound grief over the recent ambush in Borno State that claimed the life of Brigadier General Mohammed Uba and several other military officers.
