The lawmakers asked the federal government to consider drawing $5 billion from external reserves for an extraordinary national security intervention.
The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has called on President Bola Tinubu to take immediate and decisive action to end the worsening wave of terrorism, banditry, killings and abductions across Northern Nigeria.
The call was contained in a statement signed by Fredrick Agbedi, Leader of the Minority Caucus, and Afam Ogene, its spokesperson, on Thursday.
The lawmakers urged Mr Tinubu to deploy a sustained and intelligence-led military operation to reclaim communities and forests occupied by terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups.
They said the government could no longer afford to respond to attacks principally with statements of condemnation after each incident.
“The scale and frequency of the attacks have become intolerable,” the lawmakers said, noting that families had been separated, children abducted from schools and entire communities forced to abandon their ancestral homes.
The caucus cited recent attacks in several states as evidence of the deteriorating security situation.
In Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, it said more than 20 people had been killed in recent attacks, including at least 23 victims in one incident.
It also cited the attack on communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, where armed men reportedly abducted more than 60 worshippers during Friday prayers.
The lawmakers said many of those abducted remained unaccounted for.
In Sokoto State, the caucus said at least 40 people, including the Chief Imam of Ungushi community, were killed in an attack in Kebbe Local Government Area.
It also cited the killing of at least 30 people in Naridon village, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State, while noting that reprisal attacks by bandits continued to claim lives in Katsina State.
The lawmakers urged Mr Tinubu to replicate on a larger scale the strategy used to rescue schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to the caucus, the victims were rescued following an intelligence-led operation targeting the kidnappers’ networks and hideouts.
The lawmakers called for affected theatres of operation to be “locked down” to deny terrorists and bandits freedom of movement.
They urged the military and other security agencies to search forests, hideouts and criminal enclaves where the groups operate, cut their supply lines and communications and sustain operations until the criminals are neutralised and abducted citizens rescued.
“We are not asking the President to lock down innocent Nigerians. We are asking the Commander-in-Chief to lock down the operational space of terrorists and bandits,” they said.
The caucus said the operation must be intelligence-led, professionally executed and sustained.
The lawmakers also asked Mr Tinubu to demonstrate greater visibility in communities affected by insecurity.
They said the president, having visited Plateau State, should proceed to Zamfara State and travel to Illela to engage directly with communities affected by terrorism and banditry.
“Nigerians need to see their president physically present in the places where their fellow citizens are being killed and abducted,” the caucus said.
It described such visibility as necessary leadership during a national security emergency.
The lawmakers also called on the federal government to provide whatever resources are required to prosecute the war against terrorism and banditry.
They specifically proposed that the government draw $5 billion from the country’s external reserves for an “extraordinary national security intervention” if funding was a constraint.
The caucus argued that protecting citizens should remain the government’s foremost responsibility.
“The primary purpose of government is the welfare and security of the people, and no expenditure can be more fundamental than protecting the lives and livelihoods of Nigerian citizens,” it said.
The lawmakers welcomed the recent increase in the salaries of members of the Armed Forces, describing it as an important step towards improving the welfare and morale of soldiers.
However, they urged the president to immediately forward to the National Assembly the necessary amendment to the 2026 Appropriation Act and a supplementary appropriation bill to provide the legal and financial framework for implementing the salary increase.
The caucus said it was prepared to join other lawmakers in reconvening immediately, if necessary, to consider the measures.
“The welfare of our soldiers cannot be subjected to avoidable procedural delays when the nation is at war with terrorists and bandits,” it said.
