The Senate has condemned the abduction of 87 students and teachers in Borno and Oyo states within 24 hours, describing the incidents as a direct attack on Nigeria’s future.
The upper legislative house, in a statement on Sunday night by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the latest wave of kidnappings underscored the urgent need to establish state police as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
Bamidele, who also serves as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, called for coordinated and strategic measures to secure schools across the country and tackle the growing crisis of out-of-school children.
Suspected gunmen had on Friday abducted 45 students and teachers from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A Primary School in Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Similarly, Boko Haram insurgents attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting 42 students.
Reacting to the incidents, Bamidele described the kidnappings as “a tragic national concern” and vowed that the National Assembly would accelerate efforts to establish state police.
According to him, the 10th National Assembly is already at an advanced stage of amending the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for the creation of state police.
“The process will soon be completed at the National Assembly,” he said.
The lawmaker explained that after the federal legislature concludes work on the proposal, it would be transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.
He noted that the constitutional amendment would require the support of at least two-thirds of the state assemblies before state police could become operational.
Bamidele appealed to governors and state lawmakers across the federation to treat the proposal as a matter of national importance rather than subjecting it to partisan or ethno-religious considerations.
He also urged both federal and state governments to fully implement the Safe School Initiative as an interim measure to curb insecurity in schools and reduce the number of out-of-school children, currently estimated at 18.3 million nationwide.
“The incessant abduction of students and teachers is a tragic national concern that negates our national development indices. We cannot and must not allow it to continue,” he said.
“At the National Assembly, we will rise against this trend and put an end to it through the instrumentality of legislation.
“As soon as the National Assembly resumes plenary on June 2, we will perfect all outstanding legislative initiatives introduced to decisively address security challenges in the federation.
“One of such initiatives is the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution that seeks to establish state police, which is now at an advanced stage.
Another is the amendment of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 aimed at strengthening the system of consequences in the country’s justice sector and discouraging heinous crimes nationwide.”
