Northern senators seek end to kidnappings
The Northern Senators’ Forum has urged the Federal Government to take decisive actions to address the issue of kidnappings in the country.
The group said it would ‘‘not rest until the security situation is significantly improved and the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are brought to justice.’’
The forum’s chairman, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua made the call in a statement, in Abuja on Thursday.
Recently there has been an upsurge in kidnappings in the North, as exemplified by the kidnapping of over 280 students in Kaduna schools and the abduction of over 100 female internally displaced persons in Borno State.
Yar’Adua, who recently replaced the suspended Benue State Senator Abdul-Ahmed Ningi as the NSF chairman, said that the recent wave of violence and kidnappings in the North was a major concern to the forum.
He expressed concern about “the series of events that have unfolded in Kaduna State, beginning with the kidnapping of 286 students and staff on March 7; the despicable attack on worshippers in a mosque on March 8 and the abduction of 61 more persons on March 12.
“This is followed by 14 persons on March 17 and a staggering total of 87 individuals in Kujuru on March 18 among others.’’
Yar’Adua, who doubles as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, said the forum was committed to pursuing a lasting solution to the menace of insecurity.
“We will not rest until the security situation is significantly improved. It is our core duty and mandate and we will spare no effort in fulfilling it for the greater good of our people and our nation,” he said.