BEVERLY HILLS, CA, January 29, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives Wednesday urged the new service chiefs to look into the incessant cases of extra judicial killings across the country just as they urged them to consider reviewing the obstructions on road.
Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Hon. Bashir Adamu, gave the charge in his opening remarks before the commencement of the screening of the service chiefs, which lasted over three hours.
Adamu, who conducted the sreening alongside the chairmen of the committees on Army, Air Force and Navy, lamented the spate of extra-judicial killings by men of the various security agencies and called on the new security chiefs to urgently address the problem upon their confirmation by the House, by improving on their community relations.
He also assured that the House would appropriate adequate funds to the Nigerian security agencies by placing them on the first line charge in Thursday’s Constitution Amendment voting.
“Part of the 16 clauses amendment we intend to do tomorrow (Thursday), and we are voting on, is the first line charge placement of the security agencies, including police, the military and others. We believe there are too much bureaucratic bottlenecks,” Adamu said.
According to him, “We want to draw your attention, particularly to those issues that have to do with extra-judicial killings by some of the officers of the military and other security agencies. The military cannot work very well without the serious corporation of the community.
“In fact issues that have to do with insurgency would be better tackled with the cooperation of communities. We should see the issue of what they called Civilian JTF in Maidugri, what they did.”
He emphasised that the current physical barriers on the country’s roads need to be reviewed by the new service chiefs, saying their roles should concentrate on checking internal aggression and offering support to other security agencies.
Those screened were Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh; the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Minimah; Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin; and Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu.
By Saint Mugaga, Abuja
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