The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari-led Nigerian government to stop the entrance of herdsmen into the country from other African nations.
The call followed the lawmakers unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep Ndudi Elumelu.
Moving the motion at the plenary, the lawmaker told his colleagues that herdsmen had been on rampage in recent years, damaging farm lands, burning villages and killing innocent Nigerians indiscriminately in many states across the federation.
He recalled how security agents in the country had consistently claimed that those herdsmen were not Nigerians but migrants from other neighboring countries.
Read also: Ganduje says herdsmen causing ‘destruction’ in Nigeria migrate from foreign countries with ‘dangerous weapons’
Elumelu said that the brutal and militant herdsmen had consistently instilled fears in the lives of local farmers and villagers living in the affected areas.
He said, “The violent conflicts between the nomadic herders from neighbouring countries and local farmers is escalating by the day to more states of the federation, and if left unchecked will further threaten the security and stability of the nation.
“The clashes are becoming potentially as dangerous as the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.
“Yet to date, response to the crisis at both the federal and state levels have been very poor and ineffective.
“It has become necessary to lend a voice to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State that a stop be put to the movement of herdsmen from other African countries to Nigeria.
“This is so as to curb the rate of crimes and conflicts associated with their movements across Nigeria.”
The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, in his ruling mandated the Committees on Police Affairs, Army and Interior to interface with security agencies with a view to ensuring implementation and report within four weeks.
He mandated the committees to invite the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff and the Comptroller General of the Nigerian and Immigration Service to discuss the best ways of policing and securing the Nigeria borders.
Opinions