The House of Representatives has called on security agencies to ensure the enforcement of the September 2021 Proscription Order published in the Official Gazette 108, declaring the activities of bandits and similar groups as terrorists and proscribed in any part of Nigeria.
It also mandated the security agencies to rise up and stem the rising killing of innocent persons across Benue communities, especially those on the border with Nasarawa State.
The House made the resolutions at plenary yesterday, when it unanimously adopted a Motion of Urgent Public Importance on: Need to stop the renewed increasing terrorist attacks and gruesome killings by armed herdsmen and bandits in Benue communities’.
A member representing Makurdi-Guma federal constituency, Benjamin Mzondu, who moved the Motion, stated that suspected herdsmen and bandits unleashed terror on a community in his Constituency on Monday killed five persons and left several others with different degrees of injuries.
The lawmaker also said the suspected herdsmen and bandits attacked settlements in Guma local government area of the State in the early hours of yesterday and killed six persons and injured 20 people
He expressed concern about, the suspicious collusion of Army and other security agencies in the attacks, as an Army unit is stationed less than five kilometres from the location of the where the herdsmen and bandits operated for more than two hours without any intervention from security agencies”.
Mzondu said, By the Notice of Proscription Order, as contained in the federal official order, dated 29 September 2021, volume 108 of the activities of ‘Yan Bindiga and ‘Yan Taadda and other similar armed groups have been declared to be terrorist and illegal in any part of Nigeria, especially in the North-West and North-Central zones are proscribed pursuant to Section 1 and 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011.
He said the House is aware of the official gazette that any person or group of persons participating in any manner whatsoever in any form of activities concerning or involving or concerning proscription collective intention or otherwise, or group referred to in paragraph one of this notice, will be violating the provision of the Terrorism Provision Act of 2011 and liable to prosecution.
Also conscious of the provision of section 4(2b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees that the security and welfare of the people, shall be the primary purpose of government, especially the federal government.
The House, while adopting the motion commiserated with the families of those killed in the dastardly acts and attacks and urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to send relief materials to those affected.
