Calls for National Security Summit

By Jude Opara

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Senate today confirmed Tanko Mohammed As Chief Justice of Nigeria, even as the Upper Chamber has called for a security summit to tackling the worsening insecurity in the country.

The decision to screen the nominee was taken after a voice vote called by the President of the Senate, Dr.

The Senate has resolved to screen the nomination of Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed on Wednesday 17th July, 2019.

Justice Mohammed is expected to be screened by a committee of the whole of the Senate.

The decision to screen the nominee was taken after a voice vote called by the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmed Lawan.

President Muhammadu Buhari had last week forwarded Justice Muhammad’s name to the Senate for confirmation in accordance with Section 23(1) of the 1999 Constitution based on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

Meanwhile, the planned convocation of a security summit followed a point of order raised by Sen. Ayo Akinyelure (APC-Ondo), over the killing of one of her constituents, Mrs Funke Olakunrin.

It would be recalled that Olakunrin, daughter of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, a leader of Afenifere Group, was shot dead by gunmen along Akure-Ore in Ondo State on Friday.

Akinyelure expressed concern over the killing and similar ones, which he described as “increasing and incessant murder of innocent Nigerians by gunmen along major highways in the country.”

He also cautioned that if immediate actions were not taken, the development might lead to ethno-religious crises, especially in the Southern part of the country.

While urging the Senate to observe a minute silence in memory of the deceased and others who died in similar circumstances, he said attention of the Federal Government should be drawn to the situation.

Also, Sen. Tolu Odebiyi (APC-Ogun), called on the Senate as an institution to sit down with the presidency and the security formations in a meeting to take immediate action.

“We have to demand for an action by security forces and the presidency.

“There’s nothing we do here that is safe if we don’t get our security right. We can’t be coming here everyday, mourning and observing one-minute silence when Nigerians are being killed.

“As a Senate, we should send a delegation to meet with the presidency and the security forces to address what is happening.”

However, the Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, Sen. Ajayi Boroface (APC-Ondo), urged his colleagues to be cautious about linking a particular tribe as perpetrators of the attacks.

“We should approach this matter maturely and encourage the federal government to improve on the state of security.

“We should not link a particular tribe with the killings, as being observed in the social media. Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Fulani people have all been killed,” he said.

The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, on his submission equally lamented the situation, which he said was being felt across the country.

He, therefore, said stakeholders should immediately converge in a robust national security summit to discuss and address the situation.

“The security situation is all over the country. It is very unfortunate just like all our colleagues have said in their contributions.

“We should have one national security summit on this. The summit should be all-encompassing and all-inclusive, involving other arms of government and various security formations,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senate in its resolution “unequivocally” condemned the killings, calling on the Inspector General of Police (IG) to extend his dragnet to fish out the perpetrators.