The Nigerian Senate demands urgent federal action against insecurity in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger, proposing death penalty for kidnappers, firearms law review, and sustained intelligence operations to restore peace nationwide.
The Nigerian Senate has raised alarm over surging kidnappings and violence across Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States, calling for immediate federal intervention, tougher firearms laws, and the death penalty for kidnappers to deter what lawmakers described as a nationwide security crisis.
Moving the motion, Senator Lola Ashiru cited deadly attacks on schools, worship centres, and rural communities, while senators expressed concerns over troop withdrawal before the Kebbi school abduction and the growing sophistication of criminal networks exploiting forest corridors. Several lawmakers, including Senators Sani Musa, Eyinnaya Abaribe, Abdul Ningi, and Yahaya Abdullahi, accused authorities of ransom payments, lack of transparency, and failure to track terrorists using modern technology.
They warned that banditry has become “more lucrative than oil and politics,” with some communities paying taxes to bandits and over 40 abductions recorded in Kwara South in 18 months. The Senate urged President Tinubu to sustain intelligence-driven operations, deploy drones, establish a Joint Task Force along the Kwara–Kogi corridor, and support trauma relief for victims. It also recommended classifying kidnapping as terrorism punishable by death and enabling responsible citizens to bear arms, stressing that insecurity is a national emergency requiring coordinated action from all levels of government.